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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27966782">Mother of the Groom</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShawnaCanon/pseuds/ShawnaCanon'>ShawnaCanon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Baby Boom [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Future, Butterfly Marc Anciel, Children, Emilie Agreste Lives, Gen, Miraculous Team, Post-Hawk Moth Defeat, Weddings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:07:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>22,762</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27966782</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShawnaCanon/pseuds/ShawnaCanon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On the eve of his son's wedding, Gabriel makes one more attempt to use magic to wake Emilie. </p><p>It doesn't go as smoothly as he'd hoped. But when does it ever?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Emilie Agreste/Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Baby Boom [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982216</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>110</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>203</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Some people seemed to find the 'Emilie just wakes up eventually' part of Baby Boom to be unsatisfying, and I can't say I blame them. I wrote it that way because it wasn't something I wanted to get into in that fic, but by giving that information through Louis, I was able to give myself a loophole in case I wanted to write more on the subject. So I decided to do so. This will probably end up at four chapters or so.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was half an hour after sunrise—which, being summer, meant it was too early for most of the household to be up yet—and Adrien was in the dining area, conversing with his son.</p><p>“That’s an interesting point, Louis, but I would posit to you that, contrary to popular perception—and hear me out; I know this opinion might be controversial—but to my mind it is within the realm of conceivable thought that, in fact, when it comes right down to it, oranges are <em>not</em> yucky but actually yummy and good for you.”</p><p>The scrunched-up, grouchy face of his three-year-old shifted to wide-eyed befuddlement. Then a piercing laugh nearly blew out Adrien’s eardrums. “Daddy, jow siwwy!”</p><p>“I am silly,” Adrien acknowledged, “but you still need to eat one more orange slice. Okay?” He held it up, but Louis didn’t take it and only scowled at the small wedge of mandarin orange. Adrien waggled it and said in a high-pitched voice, “<em>Orange</em> you hungry, Louis? Aren’t I a<em>peel</em>ing? Can’t you <em>seed</em> how tasty I am?”</p><p>Louis giggled, and Adrien succeeded in getting the orange into his son’s mouth. Louis didn’t spit it out but went ahead and chewed on it.</p><p>Plagg was always better at getting Louis to eat when he was being picky, but asking him for help wasn’t an option at the moment. Not with Nathalie sitting a few feet away, farther down the table. She was watching them with amusement in her eyes, trying to hide her smile behind her cup of coffee. Her son, Sebastien, sat in a chair beside her, quietly playing with the pieces of strawberry on a plate in front of him.</p><p>In all those years that Adrien had been living at the mansion and Nathalie had worked there, making sure he got up in time to eat his breakfast and get to school, she’d never once sat down and enjoyed the morning with him like this. But a lot had changed since then. Now, they did this nearly every day.</p><p>Louis and Sebastien had been part of the routine for a while, too. By the time Adrien made it up to the nursery in the morning, the two of them were usually awake and playing with Keva. (The twins evidently took after Nathaniel when it came to their lack of desire to wake up in the morning.) Although sometimes the nanny had to go in and check on them, some of the kwamis were usually happy to watch them until Adrien came in. Then Adrien took his son and little brother downstairs to have a snack. They would have breakfast with the rest of the family, too, but they were growing so quickly that them eating too much was never a danger.</p><p>“Are you nervous yet?” Nathalie asked.</p><p>“What’s there to be nervous about? I’ve wanted to marry Marinette since the day I met her.” He flushed suddenly, recalling that they hadn’t mentioned the whole Ladybug and Cat Noir thing to Nathalie, and he <em>had</em> spent an awfully long time calling Marinette ‘a good friend’. With a sheepish smile, he amended, “My heart did, anyway. It just took my brain a little while to catch up.”</p><p>Nathalie chuckled. But then her expression grew serious. “Something <em>is</em> bothering you, though, Adrien. You don’t have to tell me what it is, but you can.”</p><p>He let out a breath and smiled ruefully. Maybe his other friends didn’t notice, but Nathalie had known him longer than any of them, and she had a sharp eye. He knew she wouldn’t pressure him to talk, but . . . well, he’d told Marinette, and although she’d been very sympathetic . . . to her, his mom was a photo and an idea. Nathalie had known her.</p><p>“I know Father’s still trying to save Mom,” he said softly, “but she’s been in a coma for almost five years now.” Gabriel hadn’t let Adrien see her or even told her what facility she was in, but he’d updated Adrien now and then to tell him there was no change in her condition. “I don’t want to give up hope, and I know it’s stupid, but it feels like . . . ” His throat was getting tight, so he took a second to collect himself so the kids wouldn’t get scared at seeing him cry. “Like we’re about to cross a line. Like if I get married and Mom’s not there to be part of it, it means she’s really gone for good.” He’d been staring at the table, but now he lifted his eyes to Nathalie’s and tried for a smile. “I know that doesn’t make any sense.”</p><p>“No, Adrien. I understand. It’s not stupid at all.” There was such depth of meaning in her voice and in her blue eyes, he believed she really did. And he found comfort in that.</p><p>Even though he knew it wasn’t fair of him to talk about how much he wanted his mom back, knowing that Nathalie was in love with his father. But he’d never heard Nathalie speak ill of his mother, and she’d accepted Gabriel’s rejection with impressive calm.</p><p>The heavy moment was interrupted by an innocent, if somewhat off-topic, question.</p><p>“What’s mawwied?” Louis asked. They’d already explained this to him numerous times, but Adrien supposed it was kind of a hard concept for a three-year-old to wrap his brain around.</p><p>Allowing Louis’s interest to lift his mood, Adrien smiled and ruffled Louis’s black hair. “It means tomorrow we’re gonna have a big, fancy party, and then Mommy and I are gonna go away for a little while—just a <em>little</em> while—and while we’re gone you’ll get to have your aunts and uncles watch you. Does that sound fun?”</p><p>“I wanna go!” Louis insisted.</p><p>“You can’t go this time, Little Bun, but we’ll all go on a fun trip together somewhere when you’re older. Okay?”</p><p>“Where?” Louis asked, instantly distracted.</p><p>Adrien laughed. “You think about where you’d want to go, and we’ll decide later.”</p><p>Louis frowned like he was giving the question serious consideration, though Adrien knew he’d forget about it entirely in minutes, if not sooner.</p><p>Sebastien held out his empty sippy cup to his mother. “Nalie, help.”</p><p>Adrien winced. “Sorry. That’s probably our fault.” Sebastien could hardly be blamed for not calling Nathalie ‘Mommy’ when everyone in the house called her ‘Nathalie’.</p><p>“It’s fine, Adrien,” Nathalie said, standing to take Sebastien’s cup to the kitchen for a refill. “Whatever he’s comfortable with is fine.”</p><p>When she came back and set his cup in front of him, Nathalie leaned over and kissed Sebastien on the head fondly. He raised his arms to her like he was hoping for a hug too, but she moved past him as if she didn’t notice and resumed her seat.</p><p>Adrien couldn’t help feeling sorry for his brother. On the one hand, their father was as cool and distant as . . . well, not as <em>ever</em>. He had gotten better after the babies were born, and they could get the occasional smile, word of encouragement, or stiff hug out of him. Considering Sebastien only saw him a few days a week, it wasn’t nearly enough. And on the other hand, Sebastien had Nathalie. Adrien knew she cared for her son and wanted the best for him, but she never looked very comfortable showing much affection. The hugs and kisses she did give him would have been plenty for a teenager, but a toddler needed more. Adrien, Marinette, and the rest tried to make up for it, and Geneviève certainly lavished him with praise and cuddles, but none of that was really a substitute for a mother’s embrace. For now, Sebastien was young enough that he probably didn’t consciously realize what was wrong, but Adrien worried what it might do to him once he was old enough to see all his friends being hugged and loved on by their parents . . . and to wonder why his didn’t give him the same kind of attention. Would he think it was his fault that they were like that with him? Would he think he was unlovable?</p><p>Footsteps thumped down the stairs, and Nathaniel trudged into the room, looking more than half asleep. He was in rumpled pajamas with slippers on his feet. “Morn’,” he mumbled.</p><p>“Good morning!” Adrien said brightly as Nathaniel crossed the long room toward the kitchen at the back. “What’s wrong? You look like something the cat dragged in.”</p><p>Even though his face was half-covered by mussed red hair, Nathaniel managed to shoot Adrien an annoyed glare as he passed. “It wasn’t funny the first thirty times, Adrien.”</p><p>Adrien gave him his cheeriest smile. “But it’s funny this time?”</p><p>Nathaniel reached the kitchen and opened the cupboard where they kept the mugs. “Yeah, this time it’s hilarious.” He poured himself a cup of coffee, added some cream, and chugged it in one go. The cup thunked onto the counter, and Nathaniel sucked in a huge breath. “Okay. Let’s see what’s for breakfast.”</p><p>Adrien chuckled. Nathaniel hated getting up early on days when it was his turn to make breakfast, but he always did it without complaint, the same as the rest of them. And thanks largely to Alya, they were all pretty competent around the kitchen by now.</p><p>“So, boys,” Adrien said, noting that both of them had about the same amount of fruit left to eat, “first one to clean your plate gets to go with me to the bakery.”</p><p>Louis wasted time eyeing the pieces of orange that were left while Sebastien immediately started shoveling strawberry slices into his mouth. When Louis noticed, he started eating, but he was too late to catch up.</p><p>“Chew it carefully, you two,” Nathalie warned.</p><p>“Choking or spitting it back out makes you lose,” Adrien added. He wanted to motivate them, not cause an incident.</p><p>Soon, Sebastien banged the table beside his cleaned plate with his hands and opened his mouth to show it was empty.</p><p>“Daddy!” Louis protested.</p><p>Adrien shrugged. “Rules are rules, son. Besides, Mommy’ll be down in a bit. You want to see her, right?”</p><p>His face lit up at the idea. “Mommy!”</p><p>#</p><p>“Mr. Agreste.”</p><p>Gabriel looked up from his workstation as Nathalie came into the room, holding a package.</p><p>“This just came for you.”</p><p>His heart leapt into his throat. He ran across the atelier toward her, snatched the package from her hands, and set it on her desk. “Knife. Now.”</p><p>Nathalie removed her sharpest letter opener from her desk and handed it to him. His hands shook slightly as he sliced the tape and opened the box. There was a folded piece of paper on the top. He opened it, glanced at it quickly enough to notice it was in Russian—a language he didn’t speak—and tossed it aside. Pulling back a layer of foam packing revealed a wooden box. He opened the lid and stared at the jewelry contained within.</p><p>“This is it, Nathalie.” With equal parts eagerness and reverence, he lifted his new acquisition from its container. “The Pendant of Somnul. It’s beautiful.” Hanging from a thick, golden chain, the Pendant of Somnul was an asymmetrical hunk of gold vaguely resembling a crescent moon, into which was set a large ruby. “It’s no accident that it arrived today. It’s a sign. My efforts will finally pay off.”</p><p>Nathalie picked the discarded paper off the desk, opened it, and frowned at the contents. “Are you certain about this, sir?”</p><p>“Of course I’m certain!” he snapped. How could she possibly question him now? Holding the pendant tight in his fist, he strode toward the hidden entrance to the atrium. “Emilie has waited long enough. So has Adrien. My wife <em>will</em> be at our son’s wedding.” He pushed the buttons on the portrait to activate the secret elevator and began to descend.</p><p>He knew he’d been right to question what the future version of his grandson had told him. Three years ago, an adult Louis had told Gabriel that Emilie would wake up on her own from her magically-induced coma. It had been plausible, and Gabriel had believed it enough to give up his Miraculouses. Louis had certainly been sure of his information, and from what he’d told Gabriel, Emilie had been alive and well in his time. But after a couple of years, with no improvement whatsoever in Emilie’s condition, Gabriel had begun to wonder.</p><p>It had occurred to him that the Gabriel from that other future, if he had found some other magical means to wake Emilie (not having gotten hold of the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses), would hardly have spread the information around. It was entirely possible that the other Gabriel had found a way to save her and managed to keep it secret even from the rest of his family, simply claiming that she’d woken on her own. Especially considering he would have been unlikely to tell them the reason she’d fallen into a coma in the first place. Gabriel knew himself well enough to doubt that if his Miraculous plan to save Emilie had fallen through, he would have simply given up. Which meant that <em>he</em> couldn’t give up, either. If the other future’s version of Gabriel had found alternate means to save his wife, then so could he.</p><p>And so he’d researched, and in doing so, he’d discovered a legend about a magical pendant which could wake anyone, no matter how deeply asleep they were, so long as they were not dead. Even though few gave any credence to the legend, the pendant was valued as a piece of art and history. It had been stolen and traded over the years, but eventually Gabriel had found the Pendant of Somnul, tracing it through the centuries and across continents to its current owner. Fortunately for him, it had been part of a private collection, which meant that all he’d had to do was offer enough money.</p><p>The elevator stopped, and Gabriel strode across the walkway to the platform where his wife lay ensconced in her life-support capsule. The vegetation around her was as vibrant as ever, enhancing her similarity to Sleeping Beauty, but the white butterflies and cocoons were long gone. Sunlight shone in through the huge stained-glass window behind her, filling the room with light.</p><p>Gabriel opened the capsule, revealing Emilie’s beautiful face, serene and peaceful. “Hello, my love,” he told her. “I’ve finally found the answer. It’s time for you to wake up.” Gently, he lifted her enough to place the chain over her head and laid her back down. The pendant settled between her breasts. Gabriel held his breath, expecting her eyes to open.</p><p>Emilie’s eyes didn’t open. For a moment, nothing at all happened. Then something happened which he was not remotely prepared for.</p><p>A bright flash of light and a loud whoosh of sound—like an explosion wrapped in a tornado—burst out of the pendant, throwing Gabriel back so far that he landed on his backside on the metal walkway and nearly tumbled off of it. By the time he got a firm grip on the guard rail and looked toward his wife, the light and sound had faded.</p><p>Gabriel gaped, shock and terror filling him at what he saw.</p><p>A huge monster stood on two legs between him and his sleeping wife. The beast looked like something between a bear and a lion, with a thick mane and the horns of a ram. It was at least twenty feet tall. And then it spoke, its voice deep and rough like a growl, the sound of it reverberating through Gabriel’s body. The beast was clearly making words, but it spokes in no language Gabriel could even identify. Most probably, the language of the land it had originated in—but that nation had long since vanished, absorbed and reabsorbed into multiple other nations in the centuries or millennia since the pendant’s creation.</p><p>When Gabriel could only stare at the beast in dumb confusion, the beast gave him a derisive sneer, spoke once more, and then turned and leapt through the stained-glass window, sending a million shards of colored glass raining down.</p><p>Gabriel tried to cover his head and scramble backward. Several smaller shards cut his arms and legs, but he managed to avoid any of the lethally large ones. The walkway shook under him as the beast made its escape. A few seconds later, the ground was still, the sound of falling glass had stopped, and a strange silence fell.</p><p>When his wits finally returned to him, Gabriel ran to Emilie as quickly as he could, brushing aside the broken glass with his shoes. Miraculously, she was uninjured. Many shards of the glass had fallen into the capsule with her, but none had cut her skin. She was as peaceful—and as unconscious—as she had been.</p><p>With a sound of frustration, Gabriel removed as many of the glass shards as he could from the capsule, then closed the lid. He looked up at the broken window, angry and frustrated.</p><p>He didn’t know why the magic of the pendant hadn’t worked. Could all the legends have been that wrong? Could the legends have been a trap from the beginning? He didn’t know, but what he did know was that if he’d still had his Miraculous, he probably could have stopped the beast before it had escaped. Now it was out there, rampaging through the city. Emilie was still in a coma, Gabriel had set a monster loose on Paris (again), and Adrien and his friends were the ones who would have to stop it.</p><p>It far from the wedding present Gabriel had hoped to give his son.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Thanks for coming with me,” Adrien told Marinette, shifting his hold on her hand to interlace their fingers as they walked into the lobby of the Gabriel building. “Sorry it’s gonna be boring.”</p><p>“Boring for you, maybe,” Marinette countered.</p><p>In a way, Adrien was a little jealous of her. For Marinette, the fashion design industry was a passion, which meant that every little thing about it—even going over some last-minute details for a cover shoot—was exciting and interesting. For Adrien, fashion was just a career. Sure, there were still times when it was exciting, and a lot of times when it was enjoyable, but the mundane details were nothing but work for him. The fact that he got to share it with her, though, and give her something that she got excited about, more than made up for it. <em>She</em> was his passion. His family and friends were his passion. And getting to help provide for them—not just funding but opportunities for things they enjoyed—made all the boring work stuff totally worth it.</p><p>(Being Cat Noir was his passion, too, but he tried not to think about that too much anymore. There hadn’t been a supervillain sighting in three years, so the whole team had scaled way back on transforming. These days, any time he got to do it felt like a holiday.)</p><p>There was more than the usual amount of bounce in Marinette’s step, and it made Adrien smile. “Are the clothes all finished for tomorrow?” he asked.</p><p>She nodded. “I’m so glad we decided to plan it for summer. I wouldn’t have had nearly enough time to help design everything if I had to work around classes.”</p><p>When he’d asked her on her eighteenth birthday when she wanted to get married, he’d been almost hoping her answer would be ‘tomorrow’. But he wanted the wedding to be whatever she wanted it to be, so he was happy to wait until the summer, when they all had enough time off from school to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime event.</p><p>Not that they were <em>all</em> in school. Nino had opted to get started working while Alya went to college to study journalism. He was picking up more and more DJ gigs, and Adrien had helped him get hooked up with doing sound design for some fashion shows. Really, Adrien had only introduced him to a couple people, and Nino had done the rest. He was only just starting out, but he already had enough work to keep him busy.</p><p>Most of the rest of them were going to college, though. Marinette was studying fashion design (naturally), Adrien was studying business, and most of the rest of their friends were in college. Planning the wedding for the summer made it easier for their friends to be involved like they wanted to, but even those who had work had made the effort to find time around their work schedules.</p><p>Even Adrien’s father had done way more than Adrien would have hoped. While Marinette had designed the dresses for the wedding, Gabriel had personally designed the suits and enlisted his own people to sew everything, with Marinette only needing to check in periodically and give final approval. Marinette was positively giddy at the chance to co-design a collection with her fashion idol. And even though Gabriel tried to hide it, Adrien was sure that his father was pleased with how things had gone, too.</p><p>Adrien and Marinette went up to the second floor and headed down the hall toward one of the photographer’s offices. Before they got there, someone else emerged from the office.</p><p>“Hi, Marc!” Marinette yelled, waving excitedly.</p><p>Marc jumped in surprise, then smiled shyly and waved back. They met up in the middle of the hall. “Hi, Marinette. Hi, Adrien.”</p><p>“How’s Yves?” Adrien asked, gesturing toward the office.</p><p>“Annoyed,” Marc said.</p><p>Adrien chuckled. “Not surprising. Sorry for dumping this on you on such short notice.”</p><p>“It’s not your fault,” Marc said. “You weren’t the one who needed the date moved up.”</p><p>“You gonna be okay?” Adrien asked. “It’s your first solo cover.”</p><p>Marc blushed slightly. “I’ll manage.”</p><p>“You’ll do great!” Marinette cheered.</p><p>Marc was one of their friends who’d chosen not to go to college. With a daughter to support, he’d decided to stick to modeling while it was working for him. Besides, he wanted to be a writer, and he didn’t need a degree for that. So most of the time, when he wasn’t working or taking care of Coccinelle, he was writing, reading about writing, or working on his <em>Miraculous</em> comic with Nathaniel. He’d felt bad about not being able to do much for the wedding, so he’d been happy to stand in for Adrien when the shoot had been rescheduled to conflict with the honeymoon.</p><p>Just as Adrien and Marinette were about to continue to Yves’s office, a strange rumble made the ground shake, and a noise like thunder rolled through the air.</p><p>The three of them looked at each other in confusion.</p><p>The rumble happened again, louder and stronger.</p><p>There were no windows in the hallway, but the closest door led to a studio which Adrien knew would be empty at this time of day, so he used his key card to lead Marinette and Marc inside. They raced to the large window and gaped at what they saw.</p><p><em>Something</em> was destroying buildings a mile or so away. Each roll of thunder was a building being knocked down by the monster.</p><p>Adrien had to blink to make sure he wasn’t imagining it.</p><p>“Is that a supervillain?” Marc yelped.</p><p>Marinette’s face was already focused and intent. “Good thing we kept our Miraculouses.”</p><p>“Time to transform?” Adrien asked hopefully.</p><p>Tikki, Plagg, and Nooroo had come out as soon as the door had shut behind them, and they were as shocked to see the monster as the humans were.</p><p>“Ready when you are, Marinette!” Tikki cried.</p><p>Plagg pretended to sulk. “Aw, I thought we’d get a nice, long break.”</p><p>“We got a three-year break, Plagg,” Adrien pointed out.</p><p>Plagg made a dismissive noise and waved a paw. “That’s nothing.”</p><p>“Let’s get to the roof before we transform,” Marinette said.</p><p>As they ran for the roof, Adrien glanced beside him to see Marc looking a little nervous. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“I know I’m—I’m a superhero,” Marc said, “but I’ve never fought a supervillain before.”</p><p>“It’s not as hard as it looks,” Adrien said. “Trust yourself, follow our lead, and you’ll be fine.”</p><p>As soon as they reached the roof, Marinette transformed and leapt off the building. Cat Noir and Monarc were right behind her.</p><p>“Woohoo!” Cat Noir shouted, enjoying the rush of free-fall for a second or two before using his stick to change his trajectory and launch back into the air.</p><p>“Earpieces in!” Ladybug shouted.</p><p>Cat Noir ran across a rooftop to give himself a second to pop the earpiece out of his stick and put it in.</p><p>“Who’s here?” Ladybug asked, wasting no time.</p><p>“Me,” Carapace said through the comm. It sounded like he was running, too. “Rena had to stay behind with the little dudes. They’re safe. We were shopping, though, so we weren’t able find someone to take them.”</p><p>Cat Noir felt a little relieved at that. Nino and Alya had taken Louis along with them and Keva when they’d gone to check on the florist. With two toddlers to watch, they were probably lucky that even one of them had managed to get away.</p><p>“That’s fine for now,” Ladybug said. “Who else?”</p><p>By the time five more team members checked in, Cat Noir, Ladybug, and Monarc had reached the villain. It was a huge, bear-lion kind of thing, with massive horns and a roar that shook the air.</p><p>“Cat Noir and I will engage,” Ladybug told the group. “Monarc, stay high to keep an eye on things. Everyone else, get people out of danger. This beast is knocking down buildings left and right.”</p><p>The beast started using a skyscraper as a punching bag, sending huge chunks of concrete flying. From on top of a nearby building, Cat Noir saw Carapace and Tigress dart in and start scooping people out of danger. So Cat Noir played his part, leaping on the beast’s back with a loud whoop.</p><p>The beast roared and flailed, but he couldn’t reach behind himself to grab Cat Noir. “Talk about an epic beast mount,” Cat Noir commented as he grabbed onto the beast’s fur and planted his feet on the beast’s shoulders. He doubted he’d actually be able to steer it that way, but it was fun to pretend.</p><p>“Honestly, Cat Noir, you could at least pretend not to be enjoying this,” Ladybug said as she swung through, giving the beast a kick to the muzzle on her way.</p><p>He winked at her. “I could, but who would believe it, Milady?”</p><p>#</p><p>An e-mail notification appeared on Gabriel’s workstation. He opened it immediately and read.</p><p>Fortunately, the unexpected appearance of the beast had not done anything to harm Emilie. Gabriel had checked her vitals and found that there was no change in her condition—for better or worse—so he’d left her and returned to his atelier to pore over every piece of research he’d done on the Pendant of Somnul. Nathalie, naturally, had sent the letter that had come with it to a translator as soon as Gabriel had left the room.</p><p>As Gabriel read the translation, he internally berated himself for his rash behavior and arrogance. He’d thought he knew everything of relevance about the pendant, but in reality, it was very little. The translated letter initially appeared to be a more in-depth history of the pendant, which Gabriel didn’t care about, so he skipped to the end and was so angered and dismayed by what he found, he pushed down his impatience and read from the beginning in order to get the necessary context. Then, hopefully, he would have some actionable answers.</p><p>The Russian he’d bought the pendant from clearly didn’t believe in the legend, because the letter read like a children’s fairy tale, nothing but an amusing bit of trivia about the piece. He didn’t go into how he’d found out this tale, but Gabriel would have to trust that it was true. If it wasn’t, he had nothing else to go on, and that thought was too hopeless to entertain.</p><p>Long ago, in a country that no longer existed, a queen fell into a deep sleep. The king loved her dearly, or so he said, and begged the local wizard for help. The wizard was greedy and demanded great riches, and the king gave them to him. But the wizard didn’t simply wake the queen. He could have; he had the talent. But, unbeknownst to the king, the wizard’s sister was one of the king’s concubines, and she had ambitions to be the next queen. So, for his sister’s sake, the wizard created a magical item—the Pendant of Somnul—and gave it to the king, claiming it was the best he could do. The king did not doubt him, but when he tried to use the pendant to wake his queen, a great beast burst forth from the pendant. The wizard lied to the king, saying that this was an unfortunate but necessary part of the spell. Afraid, the king sent some of his best men to fight the beast. Some of them died, but eventually they prevailed. The beast vanished into smoke, but the queen remained asleep. Enraged, the king went back to the wizard, but the wizard told him that the spell would work—but only if the beast was slain by the person who had tried to use the pendant to wake the sleeper. The king was terrified at the thought of facing the beast himself, so he instructed his bravest man to put the pendant around the queen’s neck. The beast tore through several brave men before one finally succeeding in placing the pendant on the queen and slaying the beast. But still, she did not wake. The king went back to the wizard, and the wizard gave him one final detail: the one who placed the pendant on the sleeper and slew the beast could only be the sleeper’s spouse. Aghast, the king demanded to know why the wizard hadn’t told him that earlier. “I didn’t think those details mattered,” the wizard replied. “You were the one to ask me for the means to save her. I thought that meant you would do whatever was necessary. Wouldn’t any good man?” The wizard’s words stung the king sharply, and his own guilt and cowardice ate away at him. Meanwhile, the concubine had been working hard to seduce the king. Between her efforts and the king’s own cowardice, he delayed any attempt to save the queen himself until the queen had passed from sleep to death. The concubine became the new queen, and the king ordered the Pendant of Somnul to be locked away in the deepest vault, for he could no longer bear to look at it. The new queen rewarded her brother with even greater riches, and he left the kingdom, afraid that the king might yet try to lay the blame for the queen’s death at his feet.</p><p>By the time the pendant was recovered, the kingdom had fallen, and no one remembered its tale any longer. That was why Gabriel had not found any of these details in all of his research. But, according to the letter, the wizard had written the tale down, and the Russian seller had discovered it and matched it to the pendant in his collection.</p><p>“If this story is true,” Gabriel murmured, “then I know what I have to do.” It wouldn’t be easy, not now that he no longer had his Miraculous. In the future his adult grandson had come from, he must have defeated the beast before even reading the letter. With his Miraculous on him, he could have transformed and kept the beast from bursting through the window. Nathalie likely would have been in the mansion, so she would have been quick to help. There would even have been house staff present for him to akumatize for extra help if they needed it. The entire thing would have been contained to the mansion grounds, and no one would have been the wiser. Only he, Emilie, and Nathalie would have known that Emilie hadn’t simply woken from her coma on her own, as Louis had claimed. Things were more complicated this time around, but Gabriel would assure that the end outcome was the same.</p><p>“Sir?” Nathalie asked from her desk.</p><p>He met her gaze. She’d been sent the translation as well. She had to have read it by now. “Nathalie, I need a weapon.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>"What have we learned about reading the instructions first, Gabriel?"<br/>"To do it?"<br/>"To do it, that's right."</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The biggest problem the team had in fighting the beast wasn’t its size or its strength or its speed. It was the fact that they had no idea what it was, where it had come from, or how to defeat it. It looked like a living creature, though not any creature they’d ever seen before. Even more shocking, sometimes those growls it made sounded a lot like words. Which meant it was maybe an intelligent life form. What if it was some lost, confused alien who’d somehow ended up on Earth? What if it was a normal Parisian, transformed into this beast through magic or science? What if they had a Hulk situation going on? They just didn’t know, but it made them all hesitant to use any of their weapons or powers that could have been lethal. Though there were some weapons they <em>could</em> use in the fight.</p>
<p>“Cataclysm!” Cat Noir shouted—for the fifth time. The first time had been an accident, but it hadn’t done the beast any serious harm, so when his timer hadn’t started counting down, he’d tried again.</p>
<p>Even though he was eighteen, and even though he was about to get married—which was a pretty big milestone in being a real adult—knowing that the magic of his Miraculous now considered him an adult was very cool.</p>
<p>He slammed his hand down on the beast’s back. The fur where he touched it blackened, and the beast roared in anger, spinning to try to smack at Cat Noir, but the hero leapt away before the blow could land.</p>
<p>Ladybug howled in frustration as the latest of her Lucky Charms failed against the beast. They’d been trying to lure it into a park or something, away from people and buildings, but the beast was having none of it. It had no clear motive that anyone had been able to figure out, seeming only to be intent on causing as much destruction as it could. It wasn’t going directly after people, which was good, but it was putting plenty of them in danger anyway. The whole team was on scene by now (even Rena Rouge, who’d gotten the kids to the bakery, and Ryuko, who was in town for the wedding), but most of them were busy trying to evacuate people and mitigate damage.</p>
<p>While Ladybug called up another Lucky Charm and Cat Noir paused for breath, the beast started in on another building. Ox and Cockerel tagged in to keep the beast busy.</p>
<p>“So, what are we doing here, Milady?” Cat Noir asked.</p>
<p>Ladybug had almost never looked so frustrated, and the spotted lampshade that fell into her hands didn’t improve her mood. “I don’t know. It’s not an akumatization, which means there’s no akumatized object to find. We’ve tried talking to it, but I don’t think it understands us. I don’t want to kill it, but I don’t know what else we can do. We can’t just let it keep destroying Paris.”</p>
<p>“We could have Pegasus send it somewhere,” Cat Noir suggested.</p>
<p>“And make it someone else’s problem?” Ladybug shook her head.</p>
<p>An idea occurred to Cat Noir, and even though it made him a little sick, he had to throw it out there. “Monarc could try to take control of it.”</p>
<p>Ladybug looked as repulsed by that idea as he felt. “Even if it would work, he wouldn’t do it. And I wouldn’t ask it of him.”</p>
<p>“I appreciate that, Ladybug,” Monarc said.</p>
<p>Cat Noir had forgotten they were still on the group comm channel. “Sorry, Monarc.”</p>
<p>“It’s all right,” Monarc assured him. “You’re brainstorming. And I do feel pretty useless.” He was still hovering high in the air, being the team’s eye in the sky.</p>
<p>“You’re helping me coordinate,” Ladybug said.</p>
<p>“Yeah, but I—Hold on.” He dropped closer until he was hovering just above their heads and pointed a couple blocks down the street. “Is that Mr. Agreste?”</p>
<p>Cat Noir leapt to the edge of the roof, perching in a crouch, and leaned forward until he nearly tipped off. His eyes popped wide. “What the heck is he doing?!”</p>
<p>Gabriel Agreste was charging down the mostly-evacuated street toward the beast, dodging around concrete boulders and flipped cars. Over his normal clothes, he was wearing a Roman breastplate and a Greek helmet, a katana gripped in one hand—pieces from his collection of historical souvenirs.</p>
<p>The idea of his father going insane was not entirely out of the question for Cat Noir, but he never would have expected it to look like this.</p>
<p>“Get him out of here,” Ladybug ordered.</p>
<p>Cat Noir didn’t need to be told twice. He leapt off the building, using his stick to slow his fall, and landed in front of his father. “Sir, could you please run the other direction? Away from the big monster?”</p>
<p>Gabriel charged right past him as if Cat Noir weren’t even there. Maybe something had possessed him? Was this related to the beast?</p>
<p>Cat Noir backflipped into Gabriel’s path, this time grabbing his father and launching them into the air with his stick. “I asked nicely.”</p>
<p>With a shout of frustration, Gabriel flailed. But even though Adrien wasn’t quite as tall as his father, he was close now, so he managed to keep from dropping him until they landed on a roof. “Let me go!”</p>
<p>“Sure.” Cat Noir set him on his feet on the flat roof of a three-storey building. “Now be a good boy and stay here while the big kids do our job.”</p>
<p>Gabriel shot him such an angry, unamused glare that chills ran up Cat Noir’s spine. For a second, he could have sworn Gabriel knew exactly who he was.</p>
<p>“Right, so, uh . . . ” Cat Noir backed away, almost stumbling over his own feet. “Bug out!” That was Ladybug’s sign off and didn’t make any sense for him to use, but he hadn’t seen his father give him <em>that</em> look in a long time, and it had kind of unnerved him. He jumped from the building and headed back to the fight, hoping that his father would cool off and regain his sense.</p>
<p>#</p>
<p>If Cat Noir hadn’t escaped at that moment, Gabriel probably would have snapped and explained everything to him. Once his son was gone, Gabriel forced himself to take a deep breath and look for a way down. There was a door leading into the building, and luckily it was unlocked, so he ran down the stairs and back out onto the street.</p>
<p>He made his approach toward the beast more carefully this time, trying to stay out of the superheroes’ lines of sight. This close to the beast, the noise was tremendous, the ground shook with a constant rumble, and debris pinged off Gabriel’s armor every few seconds. He knew he shouldn’t attract the beast’s attention. A direct confrontation was unlikely to go well for him. But if he could sneak up behind it, maybe . . .</p>
<p>A white blur flashed by, and Gabriel had to duck behind a wall to avoid being spotted by Bunnyx. That was another problem. If the heroes kept interfering and pulling him back ‘for his own safety’, he’d never reach his target. And if they defeated the beast first, he’d have to start all over again.</p>
<p>As he crouched behind the wall, watching the fight from a block away, the building across the street from him trembled alarmingly. It had been damaged by the beast but had not yet fallen. In an instant, Gabriel’s brain calculated the likelihood that the building would fall in such a way as to endanger him, and he decided he was far enough away to be safe.</p>
<p>Then he spotted movement. A piece of the damaged building broke away, revealing a petite woman who’d been trapped under a fallen bookshelf. He could see her moving, but if she was making any noise, her voice was drowned out by the chaos around them.</p>
<p>Gabriel’s eyes flicked back up the building, which was still shaking but not yet collapsing. Judging by the small pieces falling off of it and the cracks beginning to form, it would come down at any moment, though.</p>
<p>He was halfway across the street before he even registered that he was running. Gritting his teeth, he dropped his sword in the middle of the road to free his hands, vaulted over the broken edge of the hole in the building, and reached the fallen woman.</p>
<p>“Can you move?” he asked her as he took hold of the bookshelf.</p>
<p>“I-I don’t know!” said the woman, her voice shrill with panic.</p>
<p>“Try!” he commanded as he heaved the bookshelf up. It was solid, but he was able to get it off of her. As she tried to crawl out from under it, the building trembled again, and pieces of the ceiling fell down around them. He shoved the bookshelf aside and grabbed her arms, pulling her away. Her feet were slow to respond, so he scooped her into his arms, grateful that she was so small, and ran from the building.</p>
<p>They reached the other side of the street just as the building collapsed. The shaking dropped Gabriel to his knees, and the woman landed roughly on the ground.</p>
<p>“Can you run?” he asked her.</p>
<p>Shaking like a newborn lamb, she pulled herself to her feet. “I-I’ll try. Thank you! You saved me!”</p>
<p>“Just go!” he snapped, thrusting a finger in the direction of safety.</p>
<p>“What about you?”</p>
<p>“Go!”</p>
<p>Finally, the woman ran off, and Gabriel got to his feet, finding his sword half-buried in the rubble. He pulled it out. Now that that distraction had been dealt with, he could get back to saving Emilie.</p>
<p>He barely caught a glimpse of the shining, winged ball of light before it melted into his sword.</p>
<p><em>Fairy.</em> The word flitted momentarily through his mind. Then a voice was in his ears.</p>
<p>“I saw what you did.”</p>
<p>Gabriel barely contained his groan of irritation. “Monarc,” he said. His replacement. The current holder of the Butterfly Miraculous. And—Gabriel was certain, now that he heard the young man’s voice so clearly—his own employee.</p>
<p>“You saved that woman,” Monarc continued. “We all missed her. She would have died.”</p>
<p>“Did you only contact me to state the obvious?” Gabriel asked. “I have something I need to do, and you’re slowing me down.”</p>
<p>“Yes, I can feel your fear and determination,” Monarc said. His voice was soft and gentle. Curious, even. “And more than that now. You’re responsible for the beast. How?”</p>
<p>“That’s none of your concern!” Gabriel snapped. The Butterfly’s ability to give context to the emotions it sensed when a connection was made had always been convenient for Hawk Moth. It had given him the information he needed to bribe someone into agreeing to be akumatized. It was incredibly irritating now.</p>
<p>Strangely, Monarc didn’t push for an answer. “I know that you want to destroy it yourself. Can you tell me why?”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“Can you tell me what the beast is?”</p>
<p>“A magical construct, I think. I’m not certain.”</p>
<p>There was a pause, as if Monarc was considering his words. Was the hero communicating with his team? Gabriel looked around, finally spotting Monarc hovering in the air some ways off, away from any of the other heroes. Across the distance, their eyes met, and Monarc nodded.</p>
<p>“Heartsblade,” Monarc named him, and the man who had coined such monikers as ‘Evillustrator’ and ‘Backwarder’ didn’t even blink. “I give you the power to defeat the beast. Do you accept it?”</p>
<p>The pride and guilt inside Gabriel urged him to refuse. How dare that boy offer him a mere crumb of the power he’d once had? How dare Gabriel accept even a crumb of the power he’d once had? But his love for Emilie overrode both impulses. If he defeated this beast, she would be saved. And, as determined as he’d been to try, he knew he couldn’t do it on his own. “Yes, Monarc.”</p>
<p>A ripple of lavender transformation magic washed over him. Gabriel had been akumatized once before, but that had been by his own design. He’d chosen his own guise, and he hadn’t had anyone else riding along in his head. Now, when the transformation was complete, he looked around to see that he’d grown to perhaps double his previous height, and he felt incredible strength coursing through his muscles. In place of the mismatched helmet and breastplate, his body was covered in heavy plates of crimson armor, but his increased strength meant that he barely felt the weight.</p>
<p>It was exceedingly strange to be on the receiving end of all this—especially when the person on the other end had once been one of his own victims, not that Monarc realized it—but the power flooding through his body gave Heartsblade the certainty that he not only <em>needed</em> to defeat the beast, now he was <em>able</em> to.</p>
<p>“Get the rest of your team out of the way,” he said, his voice deeper than usual. He didn’t wait for Monarc to respond. Instead, he hefted the sword in his hands—which had transformed into the kind of enormous, fantastical thing that he might have expected a boy who wrote comics to think up—and charged toward the beast. A wordless battle cry tore loose from his throat, and his armored feet pounded like a horse’s hooves against the pavement.</p>
<p>“What in the—?” Cat Noir yelped. The look on his face would have been priceless if the situation weren’t so dire.</p>
<p>“Out of his way!” Monarc shouted to his team, and each of them jumped away from the beast, goggling at Heartsblade. “He’s my champion!”</p>
<p>The claim should have sounded ridiculous, but it didn’t, and the instant cheer that went up from the heroes as they got out of his way made Heartsblade’s lips pull back in a feral grin.</p>
<p>“Beast!” Heartsblade shouted, not slowing his approach. “I’m the one you want to fight!” He swung his sword in a wide arc, aiming for the beast’s side.</p>
<p>The beast spun in time to deflect the blow with its arm, though it cost it a nice gash from elbow to paw. Magical construct or not, there was intelligence in the beast’s eyes as it looked on him in satisfaction, approval, and challenge. It spoke in that thunderous voice, something no doubt meant to be portentous, but it was nothing but noises to Heartsblade.</p>
<p>He didn’t bother trying to talk to the beast. They both knew what they were there for. The true battle had finally commenced, and only one of them would leave alive. Trusting that the heroes would get themselves and any remaining bystanders out of the way, Heartsblade faced off with the beast. He was bigger than he used to be, but still only around half the height of the beast. It gave him maneuverability, allowing him to dart away from or under the beast’s claws.</p>
<p>Monarc asked in his ears, “Do you need us to help?”</p>
<p>“Just shut up and leave me alone,” Heartsblade growled.</p>
<p>Monarc did so.</p>
<p>For as big and fearsome as the beast was, it should have been an epic battle. But with the powers that Monarc had given him and the killing intent that the heroes hadn’t had, Heartsblade made shorter work of the beast than even he had anticipated. Three dodges, a few feints, and a swift strike to the place where he supposed the beast’s heart would be if it had one.</p>
<p>All of a sudden, the beast vanished into smoke, and a strange silence fell over the city.</p>
<p>Then another cheer went up, and the heroes rushed to Heartsblade, wearing varying expressions of joy and shock.</p>
<p>“Dude, it just disappeared!” said Carapace.</p>
<p>“Like a boss in a video game,” added Pegasus.</p>
<p>Heartsblade had no time to celebrate. He needed to get home. Monarc hovered at eye level, his wings flapping lazily. “Change me back,” Heartsblade told him.</p>
<p>With a simple hand motion, Monarc called the fairy out of the sword. The transformation reversed, and Gabriel Agreste stood in the rubble of several buildings, surrounded by superheroes.</p>
<p>“That was awesome!” Cat Noir said, clapping him on the back. “Uh, sorry about being so dismissive earlier.”</p>
<p>“It’s fine,” Gabriel said. Now that his powers were gone, he felt wrung out.</p>
<p>Ladybug tossed one of her Lucky Charms into the air and shouted, “Miraculous Ladybug!”</p>
<p>Gabriel could practically feel everyone around him holding their breaths, hoping it would work the same way for this battle as it had for all the ones he’d caused. They needn’t have worried. The magic ladybugs showed up just as they always did, sweeping through the city and putting everything to right.</p>
<p>There were more cheers and celebrations from the heroes—and from all sorts of other people, who came out to thank and congratulate the heroes.</p>
<p><em>This could go on a while</em>, Gabriel thought. He looked beside him, where his son stood, still beaming at Gabriel. “Can you take me home?” Gabriel asked him. Being carted across the city by a superhero—much less by his own son—was several steps beneath his dignity, but these were desperate times. If he was right, Emilie could already be awake at that very moment.</p>
<p>“Sure thing!” Cat Noir bent over in front of him, offering a piggy-back ride. “Hop on.”</p>
<p>With a sigh, Gabriel did as he was told.</p>
<p>Cat Noir dropped him off in the mansion’s yard, said goodbye, and headed back to his friends. Gabriel rushed inside.</p>
<p>Nathalie was standing in the atelier, a question on her face.</p>
<p>“I did it,” Gabriel said in a hoarse voice. He dropped the sword, helmet, and breastplate onto the floor.</p>
<p>Nathalie nodded, and he could see the curiosity and tentative hope in her eyes.</p>
<p>She didn’t follow him down into the atrium. He was alone as he descended in the elevator and made his way across the metal walkway.</p>
<p>Halfway across it, he froze, his heart hammering in his chest.</p>
<p>A figure stood on the circular platform, her hand resting on the open capsule, looking around as if trying to get her bearings.</p>
<p>“Emilie,” Gabriel breathed.</p>
<p>She looked up, her green eyes bright and alert. “Gabriel?”</p>
<p>He ran to her, ignoring the glass shards that still littered the ground, not stopping until he’d wrapped her tightly in his arms. Her body was so soft and warm and <em>alive</em>. She was living, moving, breathing. “Emilie,” he groaned in relief. “You’re back.”</p>
<p>She pressed her hands to his chest and pushed him away slightly so she could look into his eyes. “Gabriel? What happened?”</p>
<p>“I’ll tell you everything, my love,” he said, pulling her back against him. “I promise.” He breathed in her scent and felt the warmth of her cheek. “It’s so good to have you back. I love you so much.”</p>
<p>He could feel the hesitation in her body. She wanted to talk now, to get the answers to her questions. But she must have known how much he needed her, even if she didn’t understand why, because she relaxed and wrapped her arms around him, lifting her face so he could kiss her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gabriel didn’t know how long he held his wife, but eventually she pulled back and said softly, “Gabriel, please tell me what’s going on.”</p>
<p>He let out a breath. He wasn’t looking forward to this, but it had to be done. “All right. Come on. Watch your step.” His hand slid down her arm to grasp hers, her delicate fingers interlacing with his. How he’d missed that feeling.</p>
<p>Emilie raised her eyebrows at the shattered glass on the floor but said nothing, stepping gingerly around the shards. In silence, he led her down the walkway and into the elevator, holding her close while they ascended.</p>
<p>When they reached the atelier, they found Nathalie waiting near her desk. She gasped in shock. “It worked.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Gabriel said.</p>
<p>“Hello, Nathalie,” Emilie said, looking around the atelier, particularly at the large photos of Adrien on the wall. Several had been added over the last few years. “What <em>happened</em>?” she asked again, her voice barely a whisper.</p>
<p>Nathalie cast a questioning glance at Gabriel.</p>
<p>“I need to explain things to her,” Gabriel said.</p>
<p>Nathalie nodded, a faint flush in her cheeks the only flaw in the professional demeanor she wrapped herself in. “Of course, sir. I’ll leave you two alone.”</p>
<p>“Please dismiss the household staff for the rest of the day,” Gabriel instructed. It wouldn’t do for one of them to see Emilie and spread the news around prematurely.</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.” Nathalie headed for the exit but stopped with her hand on the door. “It’s very good to have you back, Mrs. Agreste.”</p>
<p>Emilie gave her a distracted look but returned Nathalie’s smile. “Um, thank you, Nathalie.”</p>
<p>After Nathalie left, Emilie turned to Gabriel. “How long was I asleep?”</p>
<p>Gabriel sighed. “Five years.”</p>
<p>Emilie’s hands flew to her mouth. “Five years?!” She frowned in thought. “It was the Peacock Miraculous, wasn’t it? It finally overcame me.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” he said. Taking her hand, he led her down to the recessed seating area. It was as good a place to have this talk as any. “It was the Peacock Miraculous,” he began once they were sitting together. “I’m sorry, Emilie. I should have insisted you stop using it once I realized what it was doing to you.”</p>
<p>“It was my choice,” Emilie told him. “I was the stubborn one.”</p>
<p>“Nevertheless,” he said and left it at that. “When you fell into a coma, I tried everything I could think of to wake you. Nothing worked. So I kept you in the atrium, safe and secure while I kept searching.”</p>
<p>“And you finally found a way.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” he said. Briefly, he told her about finding the Pendant of Somnul. “It didn’t quite go as smoothly as I’d expected, hence the broken window, but I worked it out in the end.”</p>
<p>Emilie pressed a hand to his cheek. “Of course you did, Gabriel. You’re brilliant and tenacious. I’m sorry for leaving you for so long. For leaving . . . ”—her breath caught—“oh, I’ve missed so much of Adrien’s life. He’s a man now, isn’t he?”</p>
<p>“He is,” Gabriel acknowledged. “He’ll be as thrilled to have you back as I am.”</p>
<p>Her eyes were watery when she looked at him. “He won’t resent me for being gone?”</p>
<p>“Of course not. He could never resent you. You’re his mother.”</p>
<p>“Is he here?” she asked, glancing toward the door. “When can I see him?”</p>
<p>Gabriel’s stomach tightened unpleasantly. “Soon. He has his own house now. But there are some other things I need to tell you first.”</p>
<p>“All right,” she said and watched him, waiting.</p>
<p>He tried his best to organize his thoughts, but there was no good way to say most of what he had to say. “As far as the public knows, you’re missing and presumed dead.”</p>
<p>That news didn’t faze her at all. “I see.”</p>
<p>“For . . . a while, that was what Adrien believed as well. I wasn’t sure how he’d react to the truth. But eventually, I decided he was old enough to handle it. Not the whole truth, but that you were in a coma. I’d realized that while I was trying to find a way to save you, Adrien had been in mourning, and he had nearly come to accept what he believed was your death. I . . . didn’t want him to let go of you.” That wasn’t the whole reason he’d told Adrien as much of the truth as he had, but one thing at a time. “I let him believe you were at a special medical facility. We can tell him that you simply woke up on your own. That happens even with long-term coma patients sometimes. In fact, I think we should make that the official story. No need to go into details about where you were being cared for.”</p>
<p>Emilie’s blonde eyebrows had drawn closer together, but she nodded. “That’s probably best. It’s not as if we can tell the world about the Miraculouses.”</p>
<p>Gabriel winced. They were getting to the difficult part. He liked to think that he would have told her the truth of this even if he’d had a choice, but the plain fact was that he didn’t have a choice. Emilie knew that he’d had possession of the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculouses. As soon as she saw or heard about Hawk Moth—and there was still plenty being said about him—she would know. Nor could he attempt to hide Mayura’s identity from her. She would guess it in an instant, and she would wonder why he’d kept it from her. She would assume things—things which could destroy their marriage. If what Gabriel had <em>actually</em> done didn’t end it anyway.</p>
<p>“The world, or at least Paris, already knows about Miraculouses,” he said.</p>
<p>Emilie’s frown deepened. “How? We were so careful.”</p>
<p>Unable to meet her eyes anymore, Gabriel stared at his hands in his lap. “We . . . were. But after I was unable to revive you, I . . . lost control of myself. I need you, Emilie. I need you more than I had ever thought possible. To keep me grounded. To keep me <em>sane</em>. Without you, I . . . lost control of myself.”</p>
<p>Her hand slid into his. “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“When I couldn’t find a way to wake you, I grew desperate. I already knew about the Miraculouses, so it seemed obvious to me at the time that the only way to get you back would be to . . . <em>wish</em> for our mistakes to be undone.”</p>
<p>“Wish?” Emilie’s hand tightened in his. “You can’t mean . . . finding the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses?”</p>
<p>His head bobbed in a single nod.</p>
<p>“But we don’t even know where they are.”</p>
<p>“No,” he agreed. “I didn’t. But I knew how to draw them out. I knew that the Guardian would surely choose holders for them if . . . they were needed to fight a supervillain.”</p>
<p>Emilie gasped and snatched her hand from his. He was afraid to see her reaction, but he forced himself to lift his face to her. Her eyes were wide with horror. “You didn’t,” she breathed.</p>
<p>“I did. I used the Butterfly Miraculous to create enough of a threat to bring the Ladybug and Black Cat onto the field and to try to threaten their holders into giving them up.”</p>
<p>Emilie’s face had gone pale. “Gabriel, no. No!”</p>
<p>“I’m not proud of my choices,” he told her. “And I won’t try to justify them. All I can say is that I was willing to do anything I had to in order to get you back.”</p>
<p>“Oh, Gabriel. I take it from this,” she said, lifting the pendant that still hung around her neck, “that your first plan didn’t work?”</p>
<p>“I never got the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses,” he said, “but it did work. The Guardian did choose new heroes to fight me. But no matter how many supervillains I created and threw against them, they always had ways to counter me.”</p>
<p>“Does Adrien know about all this?”</p>
<p>“Adrien doesn’t know what I did. But he knows that after you disappeared—so he believed—I became preoccupied. I told him it was with work. He’d just lost you, and he needed me, but I was so consumed with my own obsession that I neglected him and stifled him at the same time. If there was one thing I did right during that time, it was allowing him to go to school.” He was staring at his hands again, but he saw the tilt of her head in the corner of his eye. “I know we’d talked about how homeschooling was best for him, but he begged me and even began to run away just to go to school. He was that desperate to connect with other people. And I was glad to have him out of my hair, where he wouldn’t notice me disappearing when I sensed a potential akuma victim.”</p>
<p>Her body flinched at his wording, but he pressed on.</p>
<p>“I was a terrible father to him when he needed me most. I’m sorry, Emilie.”</p>
<p>“You did your best.” Her words were quiet and uncertain.</p>
<p>He shook his head. “No. I didn’t. I thought I was doing so at the time, but I was blinded by my goal. I put Adrien in direct danger so many times. I akumatized the people around him. I even made him the direct targets of my supervillains. I sent an enraged swordswoman after him. Once, I suspected him of being Cat Noir—the Black Cat holder—and I akumatized his bodyguard into a giant gorilla. Adrien jumped off Montparnasse Tower to escape. He would have died if Ladybug hadn’t saved him.” Or maybe not. Maybe he would have transformed at the last moment and saved himself. But Gabriel had a sickening feeling that Adrien put so much trust in the girl he loved that he would have died before doubting her.</p>
<p>Emilie was so quiet that Gabriel had to look at her. The horrified expression on her face made him almost physically ill with regret. But she tried to force her features into something more neutral. Avoiding everything he’d said about putting their son in danger, she whispered, “You thought Adrien was the Black Cat?”</p>
<p>Gabriel nodded. “I was trying to force him to transform and reveal himself. When he didn’t, I became convinced that I was wrong. But I wasn’t.”</p>
<p>Emilie blinked at him several times, parsing out his meaning. “You weren’t . . . wrong?”</p>
<p>“Adrien is Cat Noir,” Gabriel told her. “The very one who fought against me all along. The very one I’d put into lethal danger so many times. I didn’t find that out for a long while after that, though.”</p>
<p>Shaking her head slowly, Emilie said, “What are you telling me, Gabriel? What has our life become while I’ve been asleep?”</p>
<p>He put a hand on her shoulder, and she didn’t shy away from him, which was more than he could have wanted at that point. “I’m sorry. I know it’s a lot, Emilie. I’m trying to explain it in the most logical order I can, but . . . I’ve made so many mistakes. It’s hard to keep them all straight sometimes.”</p>
<p>When her eyes locked on his again, there was fire in them. “Where is Adrien now? Is he all right?”</p>
<p>“He’s perfectly fine. He’s safe and healthy. I’ll make sure you see him as soon as possible. But there are things you need to know still. Adrien doesn’t know about me. He never found out that I was Hawk Moth, his enemy. I . . . won’t ask you not to tell him. But I would ask that you at least finish hearing me out before you make a decision about it.”</p>
<p>She sighed, already exhausted by this conversation. But maybe it wasn’t just that. She had just woken from a five-year coma, after all.</p>
<p>“Are you hungry? Thirsty?”</p>
<p>“Yes, but it can wait,” she said. “Go on.”</p>
<p>He leaned back against the seat, his head falling back, and ventured into more dangerous territory. “Nathalie knows everything.”</p>
<p>“Nathalie?” Emilie asked in surprise, her gaze darting from Gabriel to the door and back.</p>
<p>“Almost from the beginning,” he said. “It would have been impossible to hide it from her, and there were times I needed help.”</p>
<p>“Help?” Emilie sounded incredulous, which was understandable. “She helped you when you decided to become a supervillain?!”</p>
<p>“Yes,” he answered calmly.</p>
<p>“But why?”</p>
<p>“In part, because she wanted to see you wake up, too. And in part . . . ” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “ . . . because she’s in love with me.”</p>
<p>“What?!”</p>
<p>“It’s not reciprocated,” he insisted, willing with all his might for Emilie to believe it. “In fact, it took me a long time to realize she felt that way. I had thought that her willingness to help came from being an exceptionally loyal employee.”</p>
<p>Emilie snorted.</p>
<p>“Yes. I see how foolish that was now. But her desire for you to recover was genuine. Of that I’m sure.”</p>
<p>Emilie was quiet for a while, but Gabriel could tell she was thinking, so he stayed quiet and let her. Finally, she said, “I don’t suppose I can blame her. If I really was completely unresponsive, it’s only natural that eventually people would assume I’d never wake up. And I couldn’t expect you to never fall in love again”—he tried to protest this, but she raised a finger to stop him—“or for no one to fall in love with you. But she still worked to save me, misguided though the means were. She must be feeling very conflicted right now.”</p>
<p>It was a thought that had never occurred to Gabriel. “I . . . I don’t know.”</p>
<p>Emilie nodded as if setting that thought aside for later and said, “Continue.”</p>
<p>After a moment, he did. “I had told her about the Peacock Miraculous. She knew where it was kept. Once, when a plan that we’d poured a lot into wasn’t going as we’d hoped, she put it on in order to help me.”</p>
<p>“Did she know how dangerous it was?” Emilie asked, worry evident in her tone.</p>
<p>“I told her. And once she used it to become Mayura, I . . . relied on her more often.”</p>
<p>“You kept asking her to use it?” The rebuke was clear in Emilie’s voice and on her face, and he knew he deserved it.</p>
<p>“Yes,” he said, ashamed. “When the damage it was doing to her became obvious enough that I tried to get her to stop, she refused, taking it again despite my wishes.”</p>
<p>“But she must have stopped some time,” Emilie pointed out. “She didn’t fall into a coma like I did, and she seemed to be fine just now.”</p>
<p>“She eventually stopped, yes. Because . . . ” He tried to continue, but he couldn’t. His throat would not open.</p>
<p>Emilie leaned closer and laid her hand on his arm. “Gabriel? You’re shaking.”</p>
<p>With surprise, he realized he was. He focused on calming himself, pushing all fear about how she might react out of the way so that he could say what he needed to. This was another thing he could not logistically keep from her, even if he’d wanted to. “I don’t know how to say this, Emilie, so I’ll just say it. I miscalculated, acted without thinking, and created a villain with the power to force others to make babies.”</p>
<p>“What?” she asked sharply, as anyone would.</p>
<p>“I was an idiot. I was thinking only of chaos and distraction, not . . . not about what I was actually doing. Before I had the chance to notice that it wasn’t even working to draw out Ladybug and Cat Noir—this was before I knew that Cat Noir is Adrien—the damage had been done. And it was irreversible.”</p>
<p>“Damage?” Emilie asked warily.</p>
<p>Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut against the truth. It didn’t help. “The mind-control power I gave Fairy Grandmother was pervasive and wide-ranging. Even I was caught in it. With Nathalie.”</p>
<p>There was a soft intake of breath beside him, and then silence. Hesitantly, Gabriel opened his eyes to peer at his wife.</p>
<p>Emilie’s hands were over her mouth, the faintest shimmer of moisture in her eyes.</p>
<p>“I don’t love her, Emilie. Not romantically. And I’ve never done anything indecent with her . . . except for that time. It was my fault for creating the villain and giving her the powers that I did, but I never would have deliberately chosen to be unfaithful to you. Please believe me.”</p>
<p>Long, blonde hair fanned out for a moment as she spun her face away from him.</p>
<p>He waited a few seconds. “Emilie?”</p>
<p>“I need a moment.” Her voice was rough and breathy.</p>
<p>He gave her another minute, but he needed to get the rest of it out before he lost his nerve. “The powers I gave Fairy Grandmother weren’t just to mind-control people into having sex with whoever was nearby. I used magic to ensure the mind-control resulted in pregnancy.”</p>
<p>That got her attention. Emilie’s face snapped back to him, eyes now brimming with tears.</p>
<p>“We have a son, Nathalie and I,” he said. “He’s three.”</p>
<p>The tears spilled over and fell down Emilie’s face. But she closed her eyes and tried to compose herself. When she opened them again, she showed him strength and fortitude. “I understand, Gabriel. You promise me that was the only time?”</p>
<p>“I swear it.”</p>
<p>“Then . . . I forgive you.”</p>
<p>Gabriel’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t dared to ask her forgiveness. Asking would have meant thinking he deserved it, and he knew he didn’t. But she’d given it anyway. An overwhelming surge of emotion took control of his body, and he pulled her into his arms. “Thank you, Emilie.” His own voice was rough with emotion now. “I love you so much.” She didn’t quite hug him back, but she let him hold her until he reluctantly pulled away. “But . . . that’s still not everything. The mind-control reached Adrien, too.”</p>
<p>Horror dawned slowly on Emilie’s face. “You mean . . . he . . . ”</p>
<p>“Yes. He had some friends visiting when it happened. I wasn’t aware of that, but it doesn’t excuse anything. He and one of his female friends . . . ” He didn’t bother finishing the sentence.</p>
<p>“What happened?” Emilie asked, sounding like she was almost too afraid to do so.</p>
<p>“It’s . . . quite a long story. He was . . . only fourteen when it happened.”</p>
<p>“Fourteen?” Emilie squeaked.</p>
<p>“Yes. It was difficult for him for a while, but the way he handled it impressed me. You’ll be very proud of him, Emilie. He’s become a very responsible young man, and a good father to our grandson.”</p>
<p>“Grandson?” she squeaked again, her voice even higher.</p>
<p>Gabriel nodded. There was more bad news that he’d have to detail to her, but he hoped this much would at least soften the blow a little. “The girl he was caught with turned out to be Ladybug, and they were already in love with each other, though it took them both some time to realize it. They’re getting married tomorrow.”</p>
<p>The sudden shift from an endless string of bad news to good news made Emilie gape in confusion for a long moment. “Adrien’s . . . getting married?”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“My baby was barely a teenager, and now he’s getting married? And he has a son?”</p>
<p>Gabriel put an arm around her shoulders. “He’s eighteen now. I’m sorry I couldn’t find a way to revive you sooner. If I hadn’t gotten so hung up on the ludicrous idea to make the wish, if I’d looked for other ways, I might have woken you years ago.”</p>
<p>“Just tell me it’s over now.”</p>
<p>“What is?”</p>
<p>She gave him a sharp look. “You being a supervillain.”</p>
<p>“It’s over. I gave up the Miraculouses and the spell book three years ago, in a way that meant neither Adrien nor anyone else should ever learn that I was Hawk Moth—as long as I stay away from supervillainy. Which I have every intention of doing.”</p>
<p>“Good,” she said. “At least there’s that. And Adrien? Is he still . . . ?”</p>
<p>“Cat Noir? Yes, though he isn’t aware that I know, and the superheroes don’t get out in public much these days. I have much more I need to tell you, when you’re ready for it. But those were the most critical points.”</p>
<p>Emilie nodded and scooted away from him slowly. “This a lot to wake up to, Gabriel. I’ll need some time to think about it.”</p>
<p>She was distancing herself from him, and his heart ached because of it. But she’d said she’d forgiven him (albeit before he’d told her all of it), so maybe she would be able to see past his many, many mistakes and continue her life with him. “I’ll give you whatever you need. Time. Space. Anything. But Adrien will want to see you, and we’ll need to make a public announcement of your recovery soon.”</p>
<p>“I do want to see Adrien as soon as possible,” she said, “but why do we need to tell the public?”</p>
<p>“As I said, Adrien’s wedding is tomorrow. He’ll want you there. You’ll be seen, and there will be questions. Unless . . . you’d rather not go.”</p>
<p>“I’ll go,” she said immediately, quelling his worry on that account. She stood and pulled herself up straight, looking down on him. “I need time. But I can have it later, if that’s the situation. Do what needs to be done as far as the public.”</p>
<p>“I’ll arrange it,” he said, standing. “Shall I call Adrien to come over right away?”</p>
<p>“Yes. Please.”</p>
<p>“Very well. I’ll also see about arranging a meal for you.” He wanted to kiss her, but instead he stepped away and headed for the door.</p>
<p>“Gabriel,” she said, stopping him. When he turned back to her, she said, “I’d like to meet my grandson. And my soon-to-be daughter-in-law.”</p>
<p>“I thought you might.”</p>
<p>“And . . . your new son, too. If Nathalie doesn’t mind.”</p>
<p>He stared at her, unable to speak until he finally blurted, “Why?”</p>
<p>Emilie smiled softly. “However it happened, he’s your son, and that makes him part of my family.”</p>
<p>Gabriel didn’t think it was possible for him to love this woman any more, but she kept proving him wrong. Through a throat nearly too tight with emotion to allow air passage, he said, “I’ll ask.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I was initially planning to skip over this conversation, but then I was like, "What am I doing? Making people have uncomfortable conversations, in detail, is part of my brand." Plus, I've never read a 'Gabriel comes clean to Emilie' convo in a fanfic before. So I went ahead with it. It's not as interesting as it could have been, due to us knowing nearly nothing about Emilie's personality or history. Oh, well.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adrien was headed home from the Gabriel building when his phone rang. “Father?” Adrien answered.</p>
<p>“Son, where are you now?” Gabriel asked.</p>
<p>Adrien raised an eyebrow at his fiancée, but since she couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, she only gave him a curious look. “Marinette and I are in the car, on our way home.”</p>
<p>“If you’re not doing anything of great urgency, please have your driver drop you off at my house. Then ask Marinette to bring Louis—and her parents, if they’re not busy—here when she’s able. I’ll have the driver stay to bring them.” On the surface, Gabriel’s words sounded calm and professional, but there was something strange in his tone that Adrien didn’t know how to read, and the instructions were unusual.</p>
<p>“Okay. Is everything all right, Father?”</p>
<p>“Everything’s fine. I’ll expect you shortly.”</p>
<p>After he hung up, Adrien told Marinette what Gabriel had said.</p>
<p>“What do you think it is?” Marinette asked.</p>
<p>“I don’t know. The only part of the wedding that Father is directly dealing with is the clothes, and if there was a problem with that, he’d want to see you first.” Something deep, deep in his heart nudged a tiny hope closer to the surface. Adrien tried to ignore it.</p>
<p>Something else surfaced: fear.</p>
<p>No. Surely this had nothing to do with his mother. And if it did, surely Gabriel wouldn’t have told him everything was fine. Unless he was trying to keep him calm in order to give him the bad news in person.</p>
<p>Marinette laid her hand on his. “Adrien, what’s wrong?”</p>
<p>“Nothing,” he said, forcing a smile. “Father’s strange, vague instructions just make my mind throw out all the worst case scenarios it can come up with. You know?”</p>
<p>“Boy, do I,” she said. The car pulled into the mansion’s yard, and Marinette kissed Adrien softly on the mouth. “Stop thinking. Just see what he wants. I’ll be back in a bit.”</p>
<p>“All right.” He got out of the car and went to the front door. It was unlocked, so he went in.</p>
<p>To his surprise, Gabriel was waiting for him in the foyer. There was a rare smile on his face.</p>
<p>Adrien’s fears eased, and that hope bobbed closer to the surface. “Father?”</p>
<p>Gabriel came to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Son, I have good news.” Instead of telling it to him, Gabriel walked to the right side of the foyer and entered the dining room. Adrien’s heart was in his throat as he followed.</p>
<p>As soon as he passed through the door, he saw a bright head of long, blonde hair. A woman stood with her back to him in front of the fireplace, in the seating area on the other side of the dining table, gazing up at the family portrait above the mantle. The hope inside him suddenly felt like a physical thing about to burst straight through his chest. He tried to temper it, tried to tell himself that it was probably just his aunt—his mom’s twin sister—who’d come to share some good family news. But he couldn’t stop himself from throwing a look to his father which he knew was full of pleading, childish desire. <em>Please tell me it’s her</em>, the look said.</p>
<p>“Emilie,” said his father, answering his question and calling her attention all at once.</p>
<p>Adrien’s eyes snapped back to his mother as she turned, their gazes met, and he knew. This wasn’t his aunt. It really was <em>her</em>. “Mom?”</p>
<p>Emilie’s mouth opened in a small ‘O’ of surprise. “Adrien?”</p>
<p>He ran to her, racing around the table and up the few steps to the seating area so fast he almost tripped. “Mom!” He threw his arms around her, pressing his face into the crook of her neck, her familiar scent making him feel thirteen again in an instant. She felt so strange in his arms, though.</p>
<p>She must have thought the same. Laughing, she pulled away and took his face in her hands. Although she was smiling, there were tears in her eyes. “Adrien, you’re so big!”</p>
<p>“You’re so small,” he said, laughing and crying all at once, too. She wasn’t really <em>that</em> small, just so much smaller than he remembered her. He knew it was because he’d grown, though. He kissed her cheek, and she drew his head down to kiss his forehead before pulling him in for another tight hug. Adrien almost whimpered, “I can’t believe you’re really back.”</p>
<p>“It’s hard to believe I was really gone. I’m so sorry for leaving you, Adrien.”</p>
<p>“Mom, you were sick! You didn’t mean to.”</p>
<p>“No, but I’m still sorry.”</p>
<p>The thought of how sick she’d been made him stand back to look at her. She didn’t appear sick at all. Aside from his new perspective looking down at her, she was the same as he remembered. “Do you need to sit down? How are you feeling?”</p>
<p>“A little tired.” She took a seat in one of the chairs, and Adrien and Gabriel sat with her.</p>
<p>“This is amazing! When did you wake up?” Adrien asked.</p>
<p>Emilie looked to Gabriel, who said, “Earlier this morning. Her doctor was amazed at her sudden, full recovery. He wanted to keep her longer for observation, but when I told her about your wedding, she wanted to be there.”</p>
<p>“We can postpone the wedding!” Adrien said. “If you need to be in the hospital, you should be in the hospital!”</p>
<p>Emilie waved him off. “I’m perfectly fine, Adrien. A little tired, a little weak, but nothing to be concerned about. Tell me more about this wedding. You’re not marrying Chloe, are you?”</p>
<p>His lips curled into a disgusted sneer before Adrien could tell them not to.</p>
<p>His mother laughed. “Good. Unless she’s changed a great deal while I’ve been asleep, I don’t think Chloe’s the right one for you.”</p>
<p>“She has changed . . . some,” Adrien said. “We’re still friends, but no, I’ve never liked her that way. My fiancée’s name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and she’s the most amazing girl I’ve ever met. Sweet and kind and brave and beautiful, and Mom, you’re going to love her.”</p>
<p>“If she makes you that happy, I’m sure I will. Is she your age?”</p>
<p>Adrien nodded. “We’re both in college now. I’m studying business, and she’s studying fashion design.”</p>
<p>Emilie’s eyebrows rose. “Fashion? Did you meet at work?”</p>
<p>“No, at school.”</p>
<p>Gabriel smirked. “Marinette’s career goals were pure coincidence, though it did work out nicely from my perspective. She’s quite talented.”</p>
<p>Emilie looked from Adrien to Gabriel like she wasn’t sure which of her thoughts to voice next. “You two have a lot to tell me, don’t you?”</p>
<p>They did, and time flew by as Adrien caught his mom up on his life. She had a lot of reactions and questions, but most of the time she just sat, listening, with a variety of expressions passing over her face. For the most part, Gabriel sat quietly and let them talk, interjecting his own thoughts only occasionally.</p>
<p>Before long, the doorbell rang, and Adrien shot to his feet. “That must be Marinette!” Without waiting for his parents to respond, he ran to the front door and threw it open.</p>
<p>Sure enough, Marinette stood on the other side, waiting for him with a tentative expression. Her parents stood behind her, and Louis was at her side, his small hand in hers. “Is everything okay, Adrien?” she asked.</p>
<p>He beamed at her. “Everything’s amazing! Come in!”</p>
<p>Adrien scooped Louis into his arms, and Marinette, Tom, and Sabine came into the foyer.</p>
<p>Fighting not to break into a run, Adrien bounced toward the dining room door. “This way! We’re in here!”</p>
<p>With all the ground they’d had to cover and the short time they’d had before the rest of the family had arrived, Adrien hadn’t actually told his mom about Louis yet. But Gabriel must have said something to her, because when Adrien came back into the room with his son and Emilie laid eyes on them, she didn’t look confused.</p>
<p>She was in awe, standing there with Gabriel beside her, like she could hardly believe what she was seeing.</p>
<p>Adrien heard Marinette’s gasp behind him, and he adjusted Louis so he could hold him with one arm, then took Marinette’s hand. He brought them both over to meet his mother. “Mom, this is Marinette, my fiancée. And this is Louis, our son.”</p>
<p>Emilie’s hand trembled as she reached out to gently brush Louis’s cheek.</p>
<p>Louis turned his face to Adrien and asked, “Daddy?”</p>
<p>“This is your grandmother, Louis,” Adrien said gently.</p>
<p>Still confused, Louis looked over Adrien’s shoulder, where Sabine was probably standing. “Gramma?”</p>
<p>Adrien laughed. “Your other grandmother. My mommy. See? Doesn’t she look like me?”</p>
<p>Louis finally got it, and he gave Emilie a big smile. “Daddy-gramma?”</p>
<p>Emilie laughed. “Yes, sweetheart.” She stroked Louis’s cheek again, and he didn’t lean away this time. “Oh, Adrien, he looks just like you did at that age. Except . . . ” She played with a lock of Louis’s black hair, and her eyes shifted to Marinette, who was practically vibrating. “Marinette. It’s wonderful to meet you.”</p>
<p>“It’s mice to neat you!” Marinette blurted. “I mean, I’m glad you’re not dead! No, I mean, sorry!” She hid her face in her hands to cover the blush sweeping over it.</p>
<p>Emilie chuckled, eyes twinkling at Adrien, and then pulled Marinette into a quick hug. “I’m glad I’m not dead, too. Thank you for taking care of Adrien for me.”</p>
<p>“No, ma’am! He’s the one who takes care of me! I’m a hopeless spaz most of the time.”</p>
<p>“She’s being hard on herself,” Adrien told his mom. “She only gets this way when she’s nervous.”</p>
<p>“I think you’re lovely,” Emilie told Marinette. “Call me Emilie.” Her attention was drawn to Tom and Sabine. “You must be her parents.”</p>
<p>Now that they’d been noticed, Marinette’s parents came closer. There wasn’t really room in the seating area for all of them, so Emilie went down the few steps to the floor level to meet them.</p>
<p>“I’m Sabine, and this is my husband, Tom,” Sabine introduced them. “What a wonderful surprise to see that you’re well.” The women hugged in a polite, friendly way.</p>
<p>“And just in time for the wedding!” Tom boomed, wrapping Emilie in a bear hug which fortunately only lasted a second and didn’t involve lifting her off her feet. Then he bounded up the steps to Gabriel and gave him an even more enthusiastic bear hug. “I’m so happy for all of you!”</p>
<p>The grandparents talked amongst themselves for a minute or two, enough time for Marinette to pull Adrien away a few feet and squeal at him. “Your mom’s alive! She’s awake and walking around! This is amazing!” She bounced up and down, her hands squeezing Adrien’s arm, and then hugged his neck tight.</p>
<p>“I know! It is!” he agreed.</p>
<p>“How did it happen?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Apparently she just woke up. I guess coma patients do that sometimes. She said she’s feeling fine, other than being a little tired.”</p>
<p>“It’s like a miracle,” Marinette said. “And the timing!”</p>
<p>Adrien gazed over at his mom, still hardly believing she was really here. “It’s incredible.”</p>
<p>Marinette bounced some more, then decided to express her happiness by giving Adrien an enthusiastic kiss, which he eagerly got on board with. He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her in with the arm not occupied with holding Louis, and they kissed as Louis giggled and patted both their heads.</p>
<p>After several seconds, Adrien realized things had gotten suspiciously quiet. Moving slowly, as if there might be a wild animal nearby whose attention he didn’t want to attract, he broke the kiss and turned his head enough to see all four of their parents watching them with unbearably amused expressions on their faces.</p>
<p>Before he could warn her, Marinette noticed they were being stared at, and they moved quickly apart, silently competing to see which of them could turn redder faster.</p>
<p>“They’re adorable,” Emilie breathed, like it was some amazing discovery, and Louis patted Adrien’s head again.</p>
<p>All four parents burst into laughter. Even Gabriel.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A couple of hours later, Gabriel saw Adrien and the rest of them out. At any other time, Gabriel was certain that Adrien would have dropped everything and stayed the night, along with Louis, and Marinette would have let him do so with her blessing. But there were still wedding matters to attend to, and Emilie wouldn’t hear any talk of them postponing anything for her sake.</p><p>It was just as well that they left. She needed time to work through her thoughts and feelings about what Gabriel had told her. While she rested in the library, Gabriel got things moving on the public announcement.</p><p>When Nathalie arrived with Sebastien, Gabriel led his son by the hand toward the library.</p><p>“Daddy?” Sebastien asked, lifting his arms in the way that meant he wanted to be carried.</p><p>“You’re walking very well on your own,” Gabriel told him gently. “Did Nathalie tell you why she brought you here?” The expression on the boy’s face was confused, which Gabriel took as a no. “I’m going to introduce you to someone very special, so I want you to be good.”</p><p>“Okay, Daddy.”</p><p>When they arrived at the library, Gabriel knocked softly on the door.</p><p>“Come in,” Emilie answered. She wasn’t asleep, then.</p><p>Gabriel cracked the door open and stuck his head through. “They’re here.” Everything about this was extremely uncomfortable—for all of them, he imagined—and so far from any reference point he had that all he could do was muddle along and try to soften the blow as best he could.</p><p>Emilie had been reclining in a chaise longue, but she sat up now. “Oh.”</p><p>Opening the door further, he came a couple steps into the room, still holding his son’s hand. The boy partially hid behind him, watching Emilie carefully.</p><p>Surprise and then joy lit up Emilie’s eyes. “Oh, he’s precious.” She stayed sitting and held out her hand. “Hello, sweetie. I’m Emilie.”</p><p>Sebastien looked up at Gabriel.</p><p>“It’s okay, son,” Gabriel told him. “Emilie is my wife and Adrien’s mother. Do you understand?”</p><p>Sebastien moved out from behind Gabriel to give Emilie another look. “Mommy?”</p><p>Gabriel’s breath caught, and Emilie jerked in surprise. She tried to correct the boy. “Oh, honey, no, I—”</p><p>“It’s fine.” Nathalie was standing in the doorway, stiff with her hands folded in front of her. “He doesn’t call me that, so it’s fine if he wants to call you that. If you’re okay with it. Given how complicated the situation is, if that’s how he’s able to make sense of it, I don’t mind.”</p><p>Emilie blinked at her in confusion. “Are you . . . really okay with that?”</p><p>“Of course,” Nathalie replied. “But if it’s uncomfortable for you—”</p><p>“No, I . . . ” Emilie looked again to Sebastien. “It’s not a problem for me.”</p><p>Gabriel didn’t comment on the matter, except to accept their decision. “Yes, Sebastien. You can call her Mommy.”</p><p>Still a bit wary, Sebastien moved closer to Emilie. Gabriel let him go, and he toddled across the room. When he reached her, Sebastien held up his arms.</p><p>Without hesitation, Emilie picked him up and settled him on her lap, and Sebastien made a happy sound.</p><p>“What a cute little boy you are,” she told him. “What’s your name?”</p><p>“Sebazan,” Sebastien said proudly.</p><p>“Sebastien? What a regal name. Very fitting.” She touched the tip of his nose and smoothed a lock of his dark hair. “He’s got your features, Nathalie. They’ll look good on him when he’s grown up.”</p><p>Nathalie didn’t answer, and when Gabriel looked back at her, he found her fidgeting uncomfortably.</p><p>“You’re very kind, Mrs. Agreste,” she said at last.</p><p>“Please, Nathalie, call me Emilie.”</p><p>“As you wish.”</p><p>Gabriel and Nathalie stood where they were and watched Emilie cuddle and talk to Sebastien. Gabriel had believed that Emilie would accept Sebastien as easily as Adrien had, but part of him had feared that he was wrong. He was glad to see that wasn’t the case. The two of them got along immediately. But then, Emilie always had been good with children. Much better than Gabriel was.</p><p>Nathalie stepped forward with purpose. “Emilie, I know it’s inadequate, but please accept my apology.”</p><p>The playful demeanor Emilie had with Sebastien dropped into something much more solemn when she looked up at Nathalie. “For what?” Though her words could have been misconstrued, her tone made her meaning clear. <em>For which of the many things you could apologize for are you apologizing? </em>Gabriel had known his wife long enough to guess that this was some kind of test.</p><p>Nathalie bowed her head. “For Se—”</p><p>“No,” Emilie snapped—not angrily, but with the kind of authority that comes naturally to those who are raised in wealth. “Try again.”</p><p>Nathalie flinched. “For . . . allowing myself to have feelings for—”</p><p>“No. Try again.”</p><p>After a few seconds, Nathalie said softly, “I’m sorry for enabling him. I allowed myself to become an accomplice when I should have at least made an attempt to help him find a better way.”</p><p>Gabriel stared at her, stunned.</p><p>He was even more stunned when Emilie said, “I accept your apology.”</p><p>With his mouth hanging open, Gabriel looked back and forth between the two women. “No. I’m responsible. Emilie, if you want to be angry at someone—”</p><p>“We all make our own choices, Gabriel,” Emilie said. “I’m not finished talking to you about yours, but Nathalie made her choices as well. Just as I made mine. I played with fire and got burned, and I left all of you alone for years because of it.” Her gaze shifted to Nathalie. “I forgive you, Nathalie. Would you forgive me for putting you in that position to begin with?”</p><p>Nathalie opened and closed her mouth a few times before saying, “Y-yes. Of course, Emilie. Thank you.”</p><p>Emilie smiled down at Sebastien, who’d been watching them all in fascinated confusion. “Now then, Sebastien, do you have any toys we can play with?”</p><p>Sebastien got down, ran over to the low shelf where they kept his picture books, and brought one back to her. “Wead me dis?”</p><p>“I’d love to.” Emilie took the book and looked at the cover while Sebastien climbed up beside her. “Is this one of your favorites?”</p><p>He nodded vigorously.</p><p>“It’s one of my favorites, too. Come here.” She held out her arm, and he nestled against her side, all the shyness from earlier gone as she began to read.</p><p>Gabriel wasn’t sure whether he was intruding or still welcome. Emilie and Sebastien were certainly in their own little world for the moment. It was . . . strange. Part of him still felt shame. Yes, he was still ashamed of Sebastien. Not the boy himself, but the fact that he existed. He was a reminder of Gabriel’s mistakes, and the fact that he looked so much like his mother didn’t help the matter. Perhaps if Sebastien had taken more after him, it wouldn’t sting so much to look at him. He didn’t <em>want</em> to be ashamed of his son, and he hoped that as Sebastien grew into his own unique person, that would fade.</p><p>But greater than the shame, he felt a warmth deep in his chest when he watched the two of them together.</p><p>“He likes her.” Nathalie’s voice was soft at his side.</p><p>“I knew she would accept him,” he said. “I just don’t know how.” <em>Not when I still have trouble with it.</em></p><p>“She’s good for him. Better for him than I am.”</p><p>Gabriel glanced down at her. “Nathalie, don’t—”</p><p>“It’s true, Gabriel. I love him, but I don’t have the knack of motherhood.” Her face turned away from him, back to Emilie and Sebastien, before she continued. “Just like I could never have been the kind of wife you needed, despite loving you.”</p><p>Her easy confession—and in front of Emilie, though they were speaking low enough that she probably didn’t hear—made heat rise in Gabriel’s face.</p><p>When he didn’t find a response, she added, “We’re not good for each other, and we never would have been.”</p><p>“On the contrary, one could say that we were <em>evil</em> for each other.” Gabriel slapped a hand over his mouth. For goodness sake, he hadn’t let a bad joke slip out because he was uncomfortable since his first major business party. He lowered his hand and straightened, pretending he hadn’t spoken. But he could see Nathalie’s smirk in the corner of his eye.</p><p>When Emilie finished the book and Sebastien went to choose a new one, Nathalie said in her professional tone, “Under the circumstances, I believe it would be inappropriate for me to continue as your personal assistant, Mr. Agreste. I’d like to request a transfer to one of the other Gabriel branches. London, if possible.”</p><p>He stared at her. “This is sudden.”</p><p>She’d spoken loudly enough for Emilie to hear, and Emilie looked just as surprised as he was. “Are—are you sure?” Her gaze went from Nathalie to Sebastien, and she seemed disappointed.</p><p>“I am,” Nathalie answered. “Naturally, I don’t want to take Sebastien away from the rest of his family. I would like to . . . relinquish custody to his father, if that’s agreeable.”</p><p>Even though he’d been expecting this development for some time, somehow it still took Gabriel off-guard. He didn’t want to argue with her. Now that Emilie was back and getting along so well with Sebastien, Gabriel wanted to bring his youngest son home. Emilie had missed much of Adrien’s youth, maybe having Sebastien here would help ease that loss. And maybe she could teach Gabriel how to be a better father. The problem Gabriel had with Sebastien wasn’t the boy himself; it was his mother, and the fact that she wasn’t Emilie. If Emilie could think of herself as Sebastien’s mother, then maybe this guilt and shame that Gabriel felt when the boy was around would go away.</p><p>Emilie went to Nathalie and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Listen to what you’re saying, Nathalie. I only wanted to <em>know</em> him. It was never my intention to try to steal him from you.”</p><p>Nathalie smiled sadly. “I know that. But I want what’s best for him, as any mother would. And, as a mother, I know that you’re best for him. You, Gabriel, and a stable home.”</p><p>Gabriel moved closer to them. “We should agree to her request, Emilie. If you’re open to it. I know it will turn out well.”</p><p>His wife eyed him. “You <em>know</em>?”</p><p>Nathalie eyed him, too. It was not a comfortable position to be in. “Louis told you something?”</p><p>“<em>Louis</em> told you?” Emilie repeated.</p><p>“Yes,” Gabriel said, directing his answer to Nathalie. “I didn’t say anything because I wanted you to make your own decision. He said this was how it was in the . . . previous future.” Emilie stepped back in surprise. “This will turn out well for him.”</p><p>Nathalie let out a breath and nodded. “I already believed it would, but that makes me feel better. Thank you, Gabriel.”</p><p>“Would you care to explain any of that?” Emilie asked.</p><p>“Yes, I will,” Gabriel said. “It’s a long story, so perhaps I can tell you over dinner.”</p><p>“I should go,” Nathalie said. “I’m sure you’ll want time to think about my request, Emilie.”</p><p>“No, I . . . ” Emilie shook her head. “It’s not that. If you’re sure this is what you want to do, I’m fine with it. Sebastien is Gabriel’s son and a sweet boy. I’d love to have him here. But are you—”</p><p>“I’m sure,” Nathalie said. The two women locked their gazes for so long, they might have been communicating telepathically.</p><p>Finally, Emilie nodded, relenting.</p><p>Sebastien wandered over with the book he’d picked out and held it up to Emilie.</p><p>Nathalie crouched beside him and put her hand on his back to draw his attention. “Sebastien, would you like to live here with Daddy and Mommy?”</p><p>Sebastien just stared at her like he didn’t understand the question. “And Nalie?”</p><p>“No, not me. I’ll have to go away for a while.”</p><p>His face scrunched up, indicating he didn’t like that answer. “And Aiden? And Louis? And Meonette? And—”</p><p>“You’ll see all of them a lot, but you won’t live in the same house.”</p><p>In an instant, Sebastien was on the verge of tears. Nathalie stroked his head in an attempt to comfort him. “I’m sorry. It’s not going to be an easy change. But it’s for the best.”</p><p>“We’ll find a way to make it as smooth as we can,” Gabriel promised.</p><p>Emilie knelt beside Nathalie and Sebastien. “Are you really sure—”</p><p>“Thank you for your concern, but yes,” Nathalie answered. She stood up and took Sebastien’s hand. “We should go home. I’ll get started on a transition plan next week.”</p><p>Emilie took the book from Sebastien and said, “I’ll see you soon, Sebastien.” She opened her arms, and Sebastien threw himself into her for a hug.</p><p>“Bye, Mommy.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just a little reminder (lest someone get confused by part of this): Gabriel knows who the Guardian is (after the episode "Feast"), and future Louis told Fu Hawk Moth's identity at the end of "Baby Boom". (I hope I haven't forgotten about any details related to all that.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adrien stood on the raised platform—only a foot above the ground, but it helped make them easier to see for the seated guests—with Marinette, Alya, Nino, the ring bearer and flower girl, and the minister. They’d agreed to forego groomsmen and bridesmaids, or else they’d have had thirty or so people in the wedding party, and that would have just been ostentatious. The weather today couldn’t have been better: sunny but not hot, the blue sky about half-filled with happy, white clouds. They’d reserved a large section of the park near the bakery for the day, and while the event had drawn a small gathering of onlookers, they stayed outside the roped-off area of ‘reserved for private event’ space.</p><p>Because of all the young children in the audience, the ceremony was kept short and sweet. It was a matter of minutes before the minister said, “You may kiss the bride,” and the bride and groom grabbed each other for one of the most passionate kisses Adrien had ever witnessed. The last time he’d seen Alya and Nino going at it that intensely, everyone had ended up pregnant.</p><p>While a cheer went up from their friends in the crowd, Adrien cleared his throat politely.</p><p>Alya and Nino broke apart, faced the crowd, and raised their clasped hands with a whoop of victory. They ran back down the aisle like they were making a victory lap, with the loud encouragement of Kim and Alix in particular.</p><p>Adrien laughed and offered his arm to Marinette to make their own exit. “Good job not going with the train for her dress.”</p><p>“I know my bestie,” Marinette said, taking his arm. They’d already been holding the hands of the flower girl and ring bearer (to make sure the kids didn’t run off), so Adrien, Marinette, Louis, and Keva made a more sedate exit down the aisle while Nino and Alya started doing an <em>actual</em> victory lap around the seating area.</p><p>Behind them, the minister announced that the morning ceremony was concluded and everyone should enjoy the reception until it was time for the afternoon ceremony.</p><p>When they’d started planning for today, the idea of a double wedding had just made sense. The four of them had taken this journey together so far; might as well see it through. Besides, they were planning to invite most of the same people. And since money wasn’t exactly a concern when it came to how long they could reserve the space or how many people they needed to hire to help out, they wanted to make an all-day party of the whole thing.</p><p>Since Alya and Nino had gotten together first and gotten engaged first, it was only fair that they would get married first. So their wedding was in the morning, and Adrien and Marinette’s would be in the afternoon.</p><p>“When should we change?” Adrien asked. He was currently in his navy best man suit, and Marinette was in her very pretty cobalt maid of honor dress.</p><p>“After lunch,” Marinette said. “That’ll give me an hour to get ready.”</p><p>Adrien pouted. He hadn’t even gotten to see the design of her wedding dress yet. “You’re really gonna make me wait?”</p><p>“Of course. It’s tradition. Besides, I haven’t seen your suit yet.”</p><p>“That’s not the same. No one gets excited for the groom’s suit.”</p><p>“Most grooms aren’t supermodels, and most suits aren’t designed by one of the biggest names in fashion. Trust me, Adrien, plenty of people are excited to see your suit.”</p><p>“As long as that list includes you.”</p><p>“I’m at the top.”</p><p>There wasn’t an official receiving line like there had been at Kagami’s wedding. Instead, everyone just got up and started socializing, congratulating the newlyweds in their own time. Family and friends had given plenty of their time over the past weeks to get everything ready, but now, on the day, staff had been hired to see to the catering and other details so that all the guests could enjoy themselves. The members of Kitty Section got up on the stage that had been set up for them, and music filled the air—though not as loudly as it would have been at a normal concert. People danced and talked and laughed, kids ran around, and everyone had a good time.</p><p>There was someone that Adrien and Marinette needed to speak to, but they couldn’t make it appear that they were too eager to do so. First, they hugged Nino and Alya and congratulated them, then spent some time chatting with Kagami and Kyo, then split up and said hi to more of their friends and family and acquaintances who’d come.</p><p>Then, when the reception was in full swing and everyone was busy, Marinette grabbed Adrien, and the two of them approached the small, elderly couple sitting quietly together near a refreshments table.</p><p>Adrien shook the old man’s hand. “Thank you for coming, Master Fu.”</p><p>“I’m so happy to see you again!” Marinette squealed softly, giving Fu a hug as he got up from his chair. “And you too, Marianne! How are you?”</p><p>“We’re very well, Marinette,” Marianne said.</p><p>“It is good to see you two, as well,” said Fu. “You two have certainly grown in the last few years.”</p><p>“And you haven’t changed at all,” Adrien said.</p><p>“It happens when you get to my age. Though there is one thing that’s different.” Fu grasped Marianne’s hand, and Adrien saw the wedding rings.</p><p>Adrien lit up. “Congratulations!”</p><p>“You didn’t invite us?” Marinette asked, pretending to be hurt.</p><p>Fu wasn’t fooled by her act. “It was a very small ceremony at a courthouse.”</p><p>Marianne beamed at him. “We didn’t need anything fancy, and I didn’t want to waste another minute.”</p><p>“Good for you,” Adrien declared. “I would have done that, too, if Marinette had let me get away with it. But it <em>is</em> nice to have everyone we love celebrating with us.”</p><p>Fu glanced around, seeing that they were far enough from others not to be overheard. “How is everything going? I heard there was an incident yesterday.”</p><p>“Yeah, we never found out what was up with that,” Marinette said. “But we took care of it. Monarc empowered <em>Adrien’s</em> <em>father</em>, of all people”—she giggled—“and he finished it off.”</p><p>Fu’s eyes widened in surprise. “Did he? That <em>is</em> unexpected. Nooroo is getting along well with his new owner, then?” Fu asked.</p><p>“Yes, very well,” said Marinette. “All the kwamis seem very happy with their people.”</p><p>Adrien opened his jacket, revealing the inside pocket. “Right, guys?”</p><p>Plagg and Tikki popped their heads out. “That’s right!” said Tikki. She waved at Fu. “Hello, Master!”</p><p>Fu and Marianne looked absolutely delighted to see the kwamis. “Hello, Tikki. Hello, Plagg,” Fu said, keeping his voice low. “You two are doing well?”</p><p>“Yeah, we’re all right,” Plagg told him. “These two keep making us babysit, though.”</p><p>“You do that on your own!” Adrien hissed at him, extremely conscious of the fact that he’d look like a crazy person if anyone spotted him talking to his own pocket.</p><p>Tikki poked Plagg’s cheek. “And you love it, so shush.”</p><p>“It seems as though things are going as well as could be hoped,” Fu said. “It’s safe to say that your plan to form a team is a success, Marinette. The Order of Guardians will likely be impressed.”</p><p>“You’re still in contact with them?” Marinette asked.</p><p>Fu nodded. “On paper, I am still the Guardian of this set. Only when I die will there be none, though I don’t expect that to change anything from your end. It is still very early yet, and the Order moves very slowly, especially when it comes to adopting new ideas. Perhaps, in a couple of decades, if your experiment is still going well, they will consent to expanding the experiment to include another team. Time will tell. For now, I am extremely proud of you.” He looked from Marinette to Adrien, smiling proudly. “Both of you. And it makes me very happy that you’ve allowed me to be part of this happy day for you both.”</p><p>Marinette blushed faintly. “Of course we’d invite you, Master.”</p><p>“You’re basically our Cupid, after all,” Adrien added. “If you hadn’t chosen us—”</p><p>Fu waved with the hand holding his cane. “I didn’t make you two go to school with each other, and I didn’t make you the people you are. Even if I hadn’t chosen you, you still would have found each other.”</p><p><em>We might have found each other even sooner</em>, Adrien thought, <em>if I hadn’t been </em><em>too</em><em> blinded by Ladybug to see how amazing Marinette was earlier. Or to recognize how I felt about her.</em> But things had happened the way they’d happened, and Adrien quite liked the Ladybug and Cat Noir side of their relationship.</p><p>Adrien tried to think of a good way to put that into words, but before he could, he heard footsteps behind him and quickly smoothed his jacket closed.</p><p>“Mr. . . . Chan, wasn’t it?” Gabriel asked. “You substituted as Adrien’s Chinese tutor on occasion, as I recall. I didn’t know you two were close.”</p><p>Fu’s expression grew oddly stony as he looked up (way up) at Gabriel. “Mr. Agreste. I was congratulating Adrien on his marriage. He is a very fine young man and deserves happiness, after everything he has had to overcome.”</p><p><em>Overcome?</em> Adrien wondered. Most people wouldn’t call being born wealthy, famous, and beautiful something to overcome, so Fu must have been talking about his work as Cat Noir. But why on earth would Fu even obliquely reference that to his father? Unless he was referring to the difficult period in Adrien’s life that Gabriel had directly made more difficult, but referencing that to Gabriel’s face made even less sense. Unless it was just Fu being protective of him.</p><p>Gabriel’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Yes. That’s certainly true.”</p><p>Fu looked surprised by that answer.</p><p>And then Gabriel made Adrien’s jaw drop by saying, “You probably noticed Adrien’s unhappiness when you tutored him. Perhaps he even opened up to you about it. I’ll admit that I made . . . many mistakes . . . at that point in my life, after my wife fell ill.”</p><p>Fu’s eyes narrowed. “Mistakes?”</p><p>“Yes. Ones I have no intention of repeating, rest assured.”</p><p>Adrien was stunned silent by the exchange, and Marinette seemed to be as well. He had no idea why his father was showing such vulnerability to essentially a complete stranger.</p><p>In a carefully even tone, Fu said, “We all make mistakes. It is how we learn from them and how we carry on from there that matters.”</p><p>Gabriel nodded. “I agree.”</p><p>Adrien was still extremely confused about what was happening, and he was working out what he could say to break the sudden lull in conversation when his mother appeared and looped her arm around Gabriel’s. “Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met.”</p><p>“Uh, this is Mr., uh, Chan. And his wife,” Adrien told her. “Mr. Chan used to tutor me in Chinese.”</p><p>Emilie shook hands with each of them. “Lovely to meet you. I’m sorry if my husband ever inconvenienced you at all. He’s quite hopeless without me.”</p><p>For some reason, Emilie’s words made Fu flinch in surprise. Then he looked from Emilie to Gabriel and back. “I believe I understand. Thank you.”</p><p>At least one of them did because Adrien still didn’t understand at all. It was like they were all having another conversation hidden under the one they were having. He glanced at Marinette, but she just shrugged, as confused as he was.</p><p>“I saw the news of your recovery in the paper this morning,” Fu told Emilie. “I was very happy to see it. And what fortunate timing.”</p><p>“Yes, isn’t it? I’m sorry I’ve missed so much of Adrien’s life, but I’m so proud to see what a fine young man he’s become.” She smiled proudly at Adrien, making him blush and smile.</p><p>“He is indeed,” Fu agreed. “And Marinette is a fine young woman, as well.”</p><p>“Yes, we’re happy to have her join the family,” Gabriel said. “In fact, all of Adrien’s friends are all quite . . . multi-talented.”</p><p>Fu’s eyes widened at that comment, and Gabriel smiled enigmatically.</p><p>Adrien was getting a little uncomfortable at being talked about as if he weren’t standing right there, so he took Marinette’s hand and said, “We should probably keep making the rounds. It was really good to see you two. We might talk again later.”</p><p>As he and Marinette walked off, Marinette said in a low voice, “Is it just me, or was that weird?”</p><p>“Very weird,” he agreed. “Like they were talking around something they didn’t want us to know about.”</p><p>Tikki’s voice came from inside his pocket, muffled by his jacket. “I’m sure you’re just imagining it. You know how older people are.”</p><p>“I guess?” Adrien said.</p><p>He could have sworn he heard Plagg grumble in annoyance.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just a random note, but if there are ever places in my fics where a space is missing between words, it's probably because, for some reason, AO3 likes to delete spaces on occasion after I paste the text into the box. So ... that's annoying.</p>
<p>Also, I don't know if French wedding traditions are different than American ones, but I don't really care and didn't bother to look it up; I just based this on the amalgamated knowledge of weddings I've seen over the years to end up with a fairly generic, baseline sort of ceremony.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The party continued, and Adrien totally forgot about the weird conversation. It was always amazing whenever he could get everyone closest to him together in one place to have fun. Most of his friends got together for parties whenever one of them had a birthday, and they’d made a tradition of doing a huge group party for the kids (since their birthdays were all around the same time), but there were even more people here now. Co-workers, former teachers, friends-of-friends that Adrien didn’t know well, even Jagged and Penny Stone. They were drawing a bigger and bigger crowd of onlookers and reporters, but the security his father had hired was doing a good job of moving them along. There was still most of the park that was free for other people to use, so it was fine if they watched from a distance, but it would be uncomfortable if they all hovered around the rope line like they were watching animals in a zoo.</p>
<p>Even aside from spending time with people himself, it was fun seeing new friendships (or potential friendships) being made amongst the guests. Sabine and Penny were getting along surprisingly well (especially considering the <em>Fill My Shoes</em> fiasco) while trying to keep Renée and Nickel from getting too dirty as they played together. Adrien got so momentarily distracted watching them that he didn’t notice Nathalie approach until she said his name.</p>
<p>Adrien turned to her and smiled. “Oh, hello, Nathalie. You look nice.”</p>
<p>She was wearing an actual dress—stylish, of course, though nothing particularly eye-catching. Sebastien was with her, holding her hand, and he looked adorable in his slacks, dress shirt, and vest. “Thank you, Adrien. Congratulations,” Nathalie said.</p>
<p>“Thanks!” Adrien noticed his little brother staring up at him, a troubled expression on his face. He crouched down, gathered his little brother in his arms, and lifted him up. “Hey, Sebastien. Something wrong?”</p>
<p>Sebastien already looked a little happier, but for some reason he hugged Adrien’s neck tightly and didn’t let go.</p>
<p>Adrien looked to Nathalie in concern. She wasn’t a very expressive woman, but Adrien thought there was something somber about her today. “Is this about Mom?” he asked softly. He wasn’t sure how Sebastien being upset <em>could</em> be about his mother, but if Nathalie was troubled about it, Sebastien might have picked up on her mood.</p>
<p>“Not exactly,” Nathalie said, but she immediately amended the statement. “Sort of.”</p>
<p>He was sympathetic to her situation, but he couldn’t think of any words of comfort that he could truthfully say.</p>
<p>“I’m very happy that she’s back,” Nathalie said.</p>
<p>“You don’t look happy.”</p>
<p>“I am. But the situation has become . . . awkward.” That, he could understand. “I knew that if—when—she ever woke up, things would go back to how they were before she fell ill. But I didn’t anticipate how . . . uncomfortable it would be for me. Especially now, after . . . ” She trailed off, but she didn’t actually need to explain.</p>
<p>Adrien’s heart went out to her, and if his arms weren’t already full, he might have hugged her. “It hurts, doesn’t it?” he said gently.</p>
<p>For a moment, she looked surprised, but then her gaze lowered to the ground and she said very, very softly, “So much. I didn’t expect that.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, Nathalie. What are you going to do?”</p>
<p>“I need to get away.”</p>
<p>“Get away?”</p>
<p>“I’ve requested a transfer. To England. I’ll be leaving soon.”</p>
<p>The news shocked him. His instinct was to protest, to tell her she couldn’t leave, that he needed her. But he didn’t really <em>need</em> her. He was a grown man now; he didn’t need her help to organize his life. His mother was back, so he didn’t need Nathalie to keep attempting to fill that void. And his father could certainly hire a new assistant to keep his work schedule for him. “If . . . if that’s what you need to do,” he said, struggling to get the words out.</p>
<p>“I can’t take Sebastien away from everyone and everything he knows, so he’ll be living with your parents after I leave.”</p>
<p>Adrien’s brain hadn’t even caught up to wondering about Sebastien, but this news was a relief. As much as he hated the idea of Sebastien being separated from his mother, he selfishly hated the idea of Sebastien being taken so far away from him even more. Still, Sebastien wouldn’t be at the house. The other kids would probably have a hard time with that for a while. And the transition would not be easy on Sebastien. “That’s why he’s upset,” Adrien guessed.</p>
<p>Nathalie nodded.</p>
<p>“It’s okay, Sebastien,” Adrien said, giving his brother a squeeze. “We’ll all still be close. We’ll make sure you don’t get lonely. Promise.”</p>
<p>Sebastien didn’t say anything, but he buried his face deeper into Adrien’s neck.</p>
<p>“I’ll do my best for him,” Adrien promised Nathalie.</p>
<p>“I know,” Nathalie said. “I’ll probably be gone by the time you get back from your honeymoon.”</p>
<p>“That soon?”</p>
<p>“The others could use the room.”</p>
<p>That was true. They hadn’t quite figured out how they were going to arrange everyone’s rooms yet. Having Nathalie’s room freed up would help with options, as much as Adrien hated to admit it. He set Sebastien down, carefully prying his arms loose. Then he did give Nathalie a hug. “Thank you for everything, Nathalie. I’m going to miss you. You’ll stay in touch, right?”</p>
<p>He stepped back, and she gave him a sad smile. “Of course.” She took Sebastien’s hand, her body shifting as if she were about to walk away.</p>
<p>“Nathalie.”</p>
<p>She stopped and looked at him.</p>
<p>“You’re a good person. You deserve to find happiness.”</p>
<p>She didn’t look like she believed him. “Thank you, Adrien. I’ll try.”</p>
<p>After Nathalie walked off, a soft hand slid into his. “Something up?” Marinette asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah, but I’ll tell you later.” If Nathalie had wanted everyone to know about it, she would have made some kind of announcement at home last night. She was probably trying to avoid putting a damper on the festivities, so Adrien kept quiet for now and went back to enjoying the party.</p>
<p>Nino was on stage doing some DJing and several people were begging Jagged to play a song or two (Adrien could tell from the halfhearted way that Jagged refused that he already intended to do it and was just fishing for compliments at this point) when the caterers brought out lunch.</p>
<p>Adrien kept it light. His stomach already felt like it was full of butterflies, so he didn’t think he could handle anything too heavy. From the way Marinette picked at her small meal, he guessed she felt the same. They could always grab more food later in the afternoon. Jagged started playing after lunch, and Adrien saw his and Marinette’s parents take Keva and Louis across the street. Since Marinette’s parents’ house was so close, they were using it as the prep area. The meals were finished and Jagged was on his third song when Adrien checked the time.</p>
<p>He nudged Marinette with his elbow. “We’d better go change.”</p>
<p>“After this song.”</p>
<p>“You said that during the last song. I’m sure he’ll play more later if we ask.”</p>
<p>Marinette pouted at him.</p>
<p>“I know, but do you really want to be late for your own wedding?”</p>
<p>She sighed. “No. You’re right.”</p>
<p>They got up and went to Tom and Sabine’s house. Nino and Alya had already gone in, so they were the last to start getting ready. Marinette left him in the stairwell to go up to her old room, where the women were changing, while Adrien went into her parents’ bedroom, which had been cleaned up for the men to use.</p>
<p>Tom and Gabriel were just leaving, the two of them talking together in a friendly way that made Adrien happy to see. Gabriel even stopped to adjust the fit of Tom’s suit jacket. It was his design, after all, so of course he wanted it to look its best. The fact that Gabriel had designed a suit that looked so good on a man of Tom’s extremely un-model-like build was a real testament to Gabriel’s talent. Like most men with wives, Tom was used to being fussed over, so he stood still and let Gabriel fix him. Gabriel stood back, gave Tom a nod of approval, and carried on.</p>
<p>Adrien went into the bedroom and closed the door. Nino was already dressed and was finishing up getting Louis changed. Since the three of them were otherwise alone, Plagg and Wayzz came out into the open, and Tikki came out of Adrien’s pocket and zipped up through the ceiling to find Marinette.</p>
<p>“How’s it feel being a married man?” Adrien asked.</p>
<p>“Great,” Nino answered, adjusting Louis’s little bow tie. “And exactly the same. So far. Ask me again tomorrow, and we can compare notes.”</p>
<p>Adrien swallowed. “Yeah.” After today, their lives would carry on almost exactly as they had been. They’d all still be living together in the same house, doing the same things as ever, but the room assignments would change. And he and Marinette would finally take that last step in their relationship—deliberately, consciously, willingly. Not just once, either. Assuming things went well, it would become a normal part of their relationship. He was eager for it, but part of him still feared it. Not for his own sake; he was ninety-nine percent sure he was ready. But he worried if she was really ready. Trauma was a funny thing; sometimes a person could think they were over it, and then suddenly they very much weren’t.</p>
<p>He pushed those thoughts and worries aside. They had a wedding and the rest of the party to get through before he had to address any of that.</p>
<p>Nino stood back from Louis. “You ready for one more round, little dude?”</p>
<p>“Again?” Louis asked.</p>
<p>Adrien knelt in front of his son, fussing at his adorable, tiny suit like his father had fussed at Tom’s huge one. “One more time, Little Bun. For Mommy and me.”</p>
<p>“It’s good practice,” Nino told Louis. “Pay attention so you know what to do when you and Keva get married.”</p>
<p>Adrien chuckled. “Nino.”</p>
<p>Nino shrugged. “It’s bound to happen. She’s my daughter, after all. She’s irresistible. The little dude doesn’t have a chance.”</p>
<p>The confused expression on Louis’s face made it all the funnier. Adrien stifled a laugh in his hand. “He’s teasing you, Louis. Now make sure you do exactly like you did this morning, and you’ll be great.” He kissed Louis’s forehead. “I’m very proud of you, Louis. You’re the best little boy a daddy could want.” He gave his son a big hug and stood up.</p>
<p>“You want us to stick around?” Nino asked.</p>
<p>“Nah. Plagg can help me if I need something. You go ahead and take Louis.”</p>
<p>“All right.” Nino took Louis’s hand, then clapped Adrien on the back. “You <em>are</em> my best man. You know that, right?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. And you’re mine.” The first guy friend Adrien had ever had. The best, too, since the day they’d met (though he had lots of other good guy friends now, too). “I’m really glad we were able to do this together.”</p>
<p>“Me, too, cat bro.” Nino winked. “See you out there. Come on, Louis.”</p>
<p>As Adrien began to change out of his navy best man suit and into his light gray groom suit, his body started trembling. It was faint at first, but soon he could hardly hold onto the clothing because his hands were shaking so badly. He had to sit down on the bed and take some deep breaths.</p>
<p>“What’s the problem, kid?” Plagg asked, floating in the air in front of him.</p>
<p>“No problem,” Adrien said. “Just . . . wow, I can’t believe it’s really about to happen. I’m really about to marry Marinette. Ladybug. I’ve wanted this so long. I’m so happy, it feels like I’m about to vibrate out of my skin.”</p>
<p>Plagg made an exasperated sound. “You humans are so weird. People get married every day, Adrien. It’s not a big deal.”</p>
<p>“People die every day, too,” he pointed out. “That doesn’t mean it’s not a big deal to the person it happens to.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, okay,” Plagg allowed. “But if Marinette sees you looking so nervous—”</p>
<p>“I’m not nervous,” Adrien interrupted. At least, he didn’t think he was. He wasn’t actually sure why he was reacting this way all of a sudden.</p>
<p>“You look nervous,” Plagg said. “And if Marinette sees you, what is she gonna think?”</p>
<p>Adrien knew the answer to that instantly, and the thought made him freeze up. “She’ll think I’m having second thoughts.”</p>
<p>“Right.”</p>
<p>And then she’d freak out and probably make a big scene which would embarrass her later, and he’d have to spend time talking her out of whatever catastrophe she started inventing in her head. And then, even if they were able to get through the wedding, that would be a whole lot of added stress that could make the wedding <em>night</em> an unmitigated disaster. The thought was chilling enough to make Adrien clench his fists and force his body to relax.</p>
<p>He took a few more deep breaths and looked past today, looked past tonight, and thought about how much fun they were going to have on their honeymoon. They were taking a trip with their best friends, the four of them heading to the Bahamas, a place Adrien had never been before but had heard lots of good things about. It would be fun. It would be relaxing.</p>
<p>Nothing all that much was changing, really. Just some details on some paperwork, and some new options added to what he and Marinette chose to do in their own room—which they also totally had the option not to do—now that they would share one. No pressure at all. If it got too awkward, they could pretend they were just cuddly roommates, like when he’d helped her during her pregnancy. He knew she wouldn’t pressure him, and he certainly wasn’t going to pressure her, so if something didn’t feel natural, it could wait until it did.</p>
<p>They’d deal with it together. Partners. Like they had been for years and would be for the rest of their lives.</p>
<p>He let out another breath, and the trembling stopped entirely. “Thanks, Plagg.”</p>
<p>“It’s what I’m here for, Adrien.” Not the snarky comeback Adrien had been expecting. It was always weird when Plagg actually took something seriously.</p>
<p>Adrien finished getting dressed, touched up his hair, and left the bedroom. He ran into his mom, who was just coming out of the main living room. He gaped at her. “Mom, you look beautiful!”</p>
<p>She looked him up and down. “You’re so handsome, Adrien. That suit is perfect on you.”</p>
<p>Her praise pleased him, but he was too distracted by her dress to really take it in. The style looked a lot like the designs he’d seen of the maid (or matron, now) of honor dress and the flower girl dress. It was also very similar to the design for Sabine’s mother of the bride dress, but different and very obviously designed for Emilie’s taller, more slender build. Unique, but it was definitely part of the same collection. “Did Marinette design that, too?”</p>
<p>Emilie gave him a playful smile. “Why don’t you ask her?” She started down the stairs without giving him any more information.</p>
<p>Adrien’s mouth went dry. Without conscious thought, his feet carried him into the living room and up the stairs toward Marinette’s old bedroom. He knocked on the trap door above his head. “Marinette? It’s me.”</p>
<p>There was a thump, then Marinette yelped, “Adrien? You can’t come in!”</p>
<p>“Are you dressed?”</p>
<p>“Yes, but you can’t see yet!”</p>
<p>He opened his mouth to say, <em>I need to talk to you</em>, but stopped when he realized that might sound like he had bad news to give her, and he really didn’t want her mind going down that road right now. “Are you alone?”</p>
<p>“Alya and Rose are here with me.”</p>
<p>Adrien glanced back to make sure he was alone in the room. “Then transform.”</p>
<p>“What?!” she squeaked.</p>
<p>“I’ll be quick. Transform so I can see you. I will too.”</p>
<p>Plagg flew out of his pocket. “Is this going to be mushy?”</p>
<p>“Yes. Plagg, claws out.” In a flash, he transformed into Cat Noir.</p>
<p>A moment later, Marinette—hopefully Ladybug now—called out, “Okay.”</p>
<p>He lifted the trap door and went into the room. It looked so strange now. The bed and desk were still there because they were pretty much built in, but otherwise the room had a lot of storage boxes and little else. Ladybug sat on a stool in front of a makeshift vanity. Rose and Alya stood at her sides, giving Cat Noir annoyed looks for interrupting their work, while their kwamis play-fenced with bobby pins nearby. Alya was already in her matron of honor dress, the green the same shade as Emilie’s and definitely the same general style, though designed to flatter Alya’s individual looks. It was the same green as the waistcoat of Adrien’s suit, which matched his eyes exactly.</p>
<p>“I just need a second,” he said apologetically to the two girls as he approached Ladybug. “I . . . just saw Mom’s dress.”</p>
<p>Ladybug’s eyes widened. “Oh.”</p>
<p>“You designed that for her. Specifically. Didn’t you?”</p>
<p>She nodded, a tiny smile curling the corners of her mouth.</p>
<p>“Before you had any idea she would wake up.”</p>
<p>She nodded again, the smile growing.</p>
<p>Cat Noir leaned down, took Ladybug’s face in his hands, and kissed her. It wasn’t a deep kiss, but slow and soft. He ignored Alya’s faux-irritated snort and Rose’s delighted squeal. When he was done, he pressed his forehead to Ladybug’s. “I love you so much.”</p>
<p>Alya swatted him on the shoulder with a hair brush. “All right, out. We’re running out of time.”</p>
<p>Cat Noir grinned, gave Ladybug a peck on the tip of her nose, and bowed himself out of the room. If any of that shaky totally-not-nervousness had been left in him, it was all gone now.</p>
<p>Adrien returned to the park, where things were already organized and set up for the second wedding ceremony. Most of the guests had returned to their seats. Some of the previous guests who only knew Nino and Alya had left, and a few new ones had arrived, but it was mostly the same crowd. There was no stopping all the cameras that flashed as Adrien made his way from the bakery to the wedding area, but his bodyguard and some of the security people tried to wave off the more intrusive reporters and fans. Once Adrien passed into their roped-off reserved area, he had more freedom of movement.</p>
<p>The wedding party (aside from Alya and Marinette) were assembled at the back of the crowd, ready to go down the aisle in turn. As Adrien joined them, the actual photographers his father had hired for the wedding pointed the security people at more of the reporters trying to hone in on their turf.</p>
<p>“She’s almost ready,” Adrien said. He couldn’t actually be sure that was true, since he hadn’t seen how far along she was, but he assumed it.</p>
<p>Emilie rubbed his arm. “Are you ready?”</p>
<p>He nodded fervently. “Yes. Completely.”</p>
<p>His heart was pounding, though, and he wasn’t quite sure what they all talked about. He knew his mouth was making noises, but he was so hyped up on anticipation that he could barely focus.</p>
<p>It could have been three minutes or thirty when Rose ran up and told the group, “She’s ready! We can start!” Then she faced the group of their female friends who hadn’t taken a seat yet and snapped, “Ladies! Fall in!” in a scarily commanding voice that reminded Adrien of the one she used when singing.</p>
<p>Juleka, Mylène, Alix, Ondine, Kagami, and Sabrina hurried to join Rose. Chloe was more leisurely about it, walking with her nose in the air, but she joined the group, as well. Adrien watched in fascination as the group of girls went through the park and across the street. He lost sight of them for about half a minute, and then they returned, all bunched together like they were in some kind of marching formation.</p>
<p>When the group arrived, they formed up behind the end of the aisle. Alya broke away to join Nino, and the rest of the girls moved to fill in the gap she’d left.</p>
<p>“We’re ready,” said Alya.</p>
<p>Adrien turned to the platform and waved at minister. The minister called for attention, the crowd settled down, and music started up. The wedding procession proceeded in the usual order, everyone making their way down the aisle and to their places—the parents to their seats in the front row and Nino, Alya, and the kids to the front platform. Adrien walked down the aisle with confidence, ignoring the stares from the crowd, and took his place in front of the minister, with Nino and Louis at his side.</p>
<p>He turned, waiting with baited breath, and looked back down the aisle.</p>
<p>Over on the stage, Jagged and Luka started playing the wedding march as an electric guitar duet.</p>
<p>The group of girls parted. Marinette stepped forward and began walking down the aisle.</p>
<p>Adrien was mesmerized. He knew she’d be beautiful, but he still wasn’t ready for the lurch his heart gave when he saw her. Her white dress was elaborate and tasteful, with hand-embroidered details in the bodice and along the off-the-shoulder collar. The satin skirt was long, but not long enough that she might trip over it, showing off her white ballet flats. Her black hair was done up in an elaborate style that involved multiple braids and loose tendrils, and her makeup brought out even more glow in her skin and brightness in her eyes than usual.</p>
<p>There was a huge smile on her face and a blush in her cheeks, and his face hurt from smiling so hard.</p>
<p>She finally reached him, and he took her slender hand in his. “You’re gorgeous,” he murmured to her.</p>
<p>“So are you,” she answered, then blushed harder.</p>
<p>The ceremony was just as short and sweet as the earlier one had been. They didn’t get fancy with it, didn’t make up their own vows or add unnecessary symbolic filler. Maybe they would have if they had been able to include their kwamis as guests. But they’d had to make the choice between being able to have their kwamis and secret identities acknowledged or including their families, so they’d chosen their families.</p>
<p>When the time came for the ring exchange, Adrien motioned for Louis to come closer, and their son held up a pillow with the rings loosely tied onto it.</p>
<p>“Heow, Daddy,” Louis said—very loudly.</p>
<p>Amid the laughter that followed, Adrien took one of the rings and kissed the top of Louis’s head. “Thanks, Little Bun.”</p>
<p>Eagerly, Louis pivoted to hold the pillow up to Marinette. “Heow, Mommy!”</p>
<p>She laughed, took the ring, and kissed his head. “Thank you, Louis.”</p>
<p>The minister continued. Marinette’s hands shook as she slid the ring onto Adrien’s finger, but he held hers steady as he reciprocated.</p>
<p>When Adrien said, “I do,” he poured as much sincerity into the promise as he could, and when Marinette said, “I do,” he burned the sound of the words into his memory.</p>
<p>And then, finally, after so much misunderstanding and heartache and hope and yearning, he heard the words, “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”</p>
<p>Adrien kissed Marinette as if he’d never kissed her before in his life. As if it were the first time he’d ever had the chance to show her how much she meant to him and how much he looked forward to their future together. It was sweet and warm and soft—and then she grabbed his head in her arms and pressed her mouth against his so hard his eyes popped open in surprise.</p>
<p>She released him, her face quickly turned scarlet, and he laughed in delight along with everyone else.</p>
<p>Music started playing, and the two of them stepped down from the platform to make their exit. Through the sheer magic of being Marinette, Adrien’s bride managed to trip, her arms flailing as she cried out, and hurtled with great speed toward the ground.</p>
<p>Adrien didn’t let her get there, of course. He caught her and stood her upright, grinning into her hair as he wrapped his arm tight around her.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” she murmured in embarrassment.</p>
<p>“That’s what I’m here for, Milady.”</p>
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